Tom Vanderbilt’s How We Drive blog recently posted some eye-opening photos of street makeovers in the English town of Ashford.
In some areas the redesign incorporates “shared street” concepts, eliminating traffic lights and forcing all road users to keep an eye out for each other. According to an Evening Standard columnist (quoted in Vanderbilt’s post), the changeover has reduced the accident injury rate to zero and the elimination of signals has improved travel time for drivers.
Ashford has about 59,000 residents in 6.7 square miles, making it roughly similar in size and population to Bayonne, NJ (another comparison to cities with similar population: Ashford is denser than White Plains and less dense than Mount Vernon, NY).
No bicyclists in Ashford???
Eliminating traffic lights is a worthy objective, but what are those ugly metal posts that appear to be as tall as the street trees in the “after” photo?
Right now at http://www.infrastructureusa.org, users are discussing transit issues through photos and video. View new Show Us Your Infra photos such as the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, train tracks in Chicago, and an old tunnel in Brooklyn. Watch the video about L.A.’s Orange Line or the documentary “Retraining America” concerning transportation reform. Share your own material, opinions, questions, and comments today and join the lively conversation.