Do Unsafe Roads Mean Responsible Driving?

Unsafe Roads = Responsible Driving?

            When the automobile was invented roads underwent a major change. There was no longer any room for the pedestrian or many of the aesthetic features that brighten up the landscape of the roadside such as trees. The early idea behind traffic engineering was to remove any dangerous obstructions for the driver and keep the pedestrians as far from peril as possible by making their area separate from the drivers’. Constructing wider roads helped traffic engineers increased the flow of traffic, which made traffic signs and lights necessary for vehicles to move safely along with the faster current of the city. Hans Monderman, a Dutch traffic engineer, believes he has a remedy for this problem of congested streets and fatal accidents, a theory he calls “shared space”. In an article by Tom McNichol, Monderman tells him, “The trouble with traffic engineers is that when there’s a problem with a road, they always try to add something, to my mind, it’s much better to remove things.” (McNichol 1). To achieve his dream of a driver-pedestrian utopia, Monderman has begun to tear down traffic signs and lights, remove lines marking lanes, even removing curbs and sidewalks to put drivers and pedestrians closer together instead of further apart in cities that wish to test this new theory.

            One of the main principles behind the idea of shared space is the idea that less is more, especially when concerning traffic signs and lights. Many proponents of shared space feel that signs and lights are unnecessary distractions that inhibit free thought while bringing our attention away from the road. It’s hard to imagine being able to see a little boy run into the street off to my left while I’m busy trying to determine which lane I need to be in just to go straight by examining the sign on my right. After pointing out the absurdity of a yellow road sign warning of cows in the road, when it should be very clear to any passerby there were cows present Monderman commented, “’They’re treating you like you’re a complete idiot, and if people treat you like a complete idiot, you’ll act like one.” (Lyall, par 17). An article proposing the abolition of traffic lights says of the lights, “They take our eyes off the road, obstruct our progress and cause needless delay.” (Cassini). By waiting at a traffic light in the wee hours of the morning for it to turn that lovely shade of green, not only is it a waste of time, it is a waste of tax money as well. Traffic lights are expensive to buy and replace, it costs money to keep them on all day and all night, and the repairs that are sometimes needed don’t exactly come from charity workers. Without these distractions drivers will be able to give all of their attention to the road and the pedestrians on it, eliminating the “tunnel vision” (Schulz, par 9) drivers too often experience.