Can 'naked roads' kill speed?

[pipme]

Try driving in fog without reference points !!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4213221.stm

I find I use white lines, kerbs etc as a continual means of positional reference, judging gaps etc I think the idea of 'no white lines' may work for a while because drivers become unsure and slow down, what happens when it is a regular route ?
Just another cost cutting exercise using some dubious stats, at best I reckon.
Putting mobile lumps of metal in undefined areas with soft fleshed human beings is a cr ap idea ... I know!! If it is valid and so good, put the councillor, having an area's road safety portfolio, in the loop regarding responsiblity for injuries, bet it aint so cut and dried then !!
P

 

[securespark]

No, Pip, but naked ladies will.....!

 

[pipme]

Not if you are of the 'other' persuasion --- Let's have it right. PC, rules me old m8. fair shares for all.

 

[AdamW]

Can 'naked roads' kill speed?

Possibly, but isn't the point of this to reduce injuries and fatalities, i.e. make the roads safer?

Removing road paint and traffic lights is a seriously bad idea! Light-free intersections work in the US, but only in quiet areas. People take their turn, it is all very organised. But can you imagine that working in the UK? We live in a country where if you make the mistake of letting one car onto your side of the road to get round a parked car on their side, you end up with a mile of traffic forcing its way through until you have crept far enough forwards that they have to stop or hit you. This is the country where the term "amber gambler" originates. Without traffic lights we would have far more roadrage and more accidents as people barge their way through junctions, and other people pull out because "it was my turn"

And anyone who has tried walking in a European city, down a road without a clearly marked pavement whilst people in small cars razz past you, knows that you need kerbs and pavements!

The approach has been tested in Seend, a Wiltshire village

Reports that the technique could be applied to Exhibition Road

WHAT?! That makes as much sense as saying "Speed humps have reduced speed in residential areas, so let's try installing them in the speeding blackspots of the M1!" A sleepy village in Wiltshire is hardly representative of Exhibition Road. As it happens, Exhibition Road has little in the way of street markings as it is, and needs the traffic lights due to the several thousand students crossing the road each day to get into Imperial College.

 

[kendor]

Try driving in fog without reference points !!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4213221.stm

I find I use white lines, kerbs etc as a continual means of positional reference, judging gaps etc I think the idea of 'no white lines' may work for a while because drivers become unsure and slow down, what happens when it is a regular route ?
Just another cost cutting exercise using some dubious stats, at best I reckon.
Putting mobile lumps of metal in undefined areas with soft fleshed human beings is a cr ap idea ... I know!! If it is valid and so good, put the councillor, having an area's road safety portfolio, in the loop regarding responsiblity for injuries, bet it aint so cut and dried then !!
P

They could also end up on the wrong side of the road

 

[pipme]

There will be no right or wrong side of road, except when one hits an errant pedestrian then it'll be the driver in the wrong !!

 

[securespark]

Not if you are of the 'other' persuasion --- Let's have it right. PC, rules me old m8. fair shares for all.

I have several gay friends, at least one of which appreciates nudity no matter the gender.

 

[pipme]

Not if you are of the 'other' persuasion --- Let's have it right. PC, rules me old m8. fair shares for all.

I have several gay friends, at least one of which appreciates nudity no matter the gender.

I meant the other persuasion, as in, not 'liking the miserable gender' .... do not need to be gay or fey not to want to play !

 

[IanDB]

There will be no right or wrong side of road, except when one hits an errant pedestrian then it'll be the driver in the wrong !!

A mate of mine spent some time working in Korea, well known for high accident rates on the road. Every time you had to cross the traffic you took your life in your hands. One day he was at a set of lights (walking) and waited till all was clear before going over the road on a marked crossing. He was nearly knocked down by a motorcyclist coming across the other way!

It only goes to show that no matter what markings you put down it's the grey matter in the head of the person driving that will ultimately make the decision on how fast or how slow to drive.

 

[AdamW]

Yes, but we Brits are sticklers for rules. That's why we have so much rage on the road. One person does something wrong, and it drives us mad. But, go to Italy and no-one cares because they all do it! They have lines on the road, people ignore them. Even at 95mph on their motorways, a 3-lane road is wide enough for 4 cars (5 if you use the hard-shoulder). However, they have loads of accidents, and I would imagine incredibly high road-death figures.

Getting rid of road paint is as contributory to road safety as giving everyone a cut-throat razor would be to reducing shaving nicks. You would drive/shave more carefully... but whether or not it is safer is debatable.

It's going to be a nightmare for the accident assessors too. Who was in the wrong in this head-on collision? Well, neither, because neither were on the wrong side of the road as far as can be established.

 

[securespark]

As successfully applied in Holland (?), the idea is that removing all signs, markings paint etc and making the pavement level with the tarmac, you make motorists think for themselves, rather than telling them what to do.

It is supposed to work very well!

 

[pipme]

I hope my kids do not have to negotiate such an area on foot -- You could say some of us lot do not stop when a light turns red, I wonder what that type will do in the 'unmarked' areas ? I rather expect we shall be told it is all working wonderfully, whilst having to put up with pugnacious types demanding the right of the road --- As usual the sensible will remain so, with more caution, the rest will do what they do anyway.
When the first kids are mown down, I can imagine what the parents may feel when viewing the lack of defined walking space .. no kerb to curb the swerver .. I have grave misgivings for the plan in this country.
I think bad tempered driving arises in no small part due to the infuriating manner in which councils are blocking and generaly narrowing roads, such that drivers are frustrated at not being able to make steady progress ... Once the city limits are reached, for many, the foot goes down with a vengeance as frustration is vented ........
Not the answer for the UK !!
P