How removing signs and barriers can make streets safer
Some cities in Europe are undergoing a fascinating transformation: they’re getting rid of all of their road signs.
That’s thanks to a design concept called “shared space,” where urban planners drastically lessen the presence of traffic lights, signs, and barriers, encouraging all forms of transportation to share the road. There’s evidence that drivers often totally ignore road signs, so the heightened risk forces commuters to remain on high alert as they pass through an intersection, in theory leading to safer travel.
It’s part of a broader urban planning trend in the pursuit of walkable streets. In Barcelona, planners are sectioning off 9-block “superblocks” to insulate neighborhoods from heavy traffic. But shared space is walkable minimalism taken to the extreme — and it’s become a divisive topic in the places it’s been implemented.
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