Pages

2008-05-19

Shared space

"‘Shared space is used to describe an emerging approach to urban design, traffic engineering and road safety’ (Hamilton-Baillie). At the heart of the concept is the integration of vehicle users, pedestrians and cyclists in the same space. This is seen to contrast with post-war transport polices which corresponded with, and reacted to, the growth of the motor car and increased vehicular speeds. The predominance of the car within the emerging road-user hierarchy led to increasing segregation between pedestrian and vehicular space, with environments designed primarily for the needs of car users, which in turn enabled cars to travel at greater speeds and only further justified policies separating users. This principle was further supported by Colin Buchanan’s 1963 report ‘Traffic in Towns’, which projected large scale traffic growth, arguing that traffic and pedestrian activity was fundamentally incompatible and should be segregated."

"Shared space represents the most significant new philosophy to challenge the principle of segregation and open up new opportunities to develop a more inclusive and accessible environment. (Hamilton-Baillie)"

http://www.cyclecardiff.org.uk/?p=114

No comments: