All you need is love

[Martin Cassini]

Roger Cohen (NYT) contrasts the propensity for the Middle East to nurse historical hatreds for ever, with the ability of Vietnam and other Asian nations to move on. Communist China's Zhou Enlai did business with the West, showing that peaceful coexistence can flourish despite essential differences. Similarly, if roads were designed for integration rather than segregation, and equality replaced priority, all road-users would be able to mix merrily. We don't need separate cycle lanes or traffic lights. We need a culture of empathy. How do we get it? Through freedom to use commonsense and common courtesy on roads free of counterproductive traffic controls.

[Stefan Langeveld]

On the secondary thread:
In Germany and the Netherlands there's a mirror problem in lane keeping: too many stick to the inside lane, because the other lanes are for overtaking only. Driving on the outside lane too long is an offence (at least in De).
I believe this rule is wrong: combined with speed limits it causes delays and congestion. For one, the inside lane is for merging onto the motorway, it should be kept clear enough near junctions.
And one other rule is more important: keep a large distance (to vehicle in front), so it's safer to move to the right (UK) when the nearside fills up, or else slow down on the inside lane collectively.

[Martin Cassini]

Yes, it's nothing short of bizarre how some drivers see the inside lane as irrelevant, and misguidedly use the middle lane as the default lane. You can understand it on the approach to a busy slip road bringing traffic on to the motorway, but it's inexcusable on long stretches when the inside lane is empty. They cause a rolling road block, restrict road capacity, inflame the wrong sort of passions, and are undoubtedly responsible for accidents which they escape scot-free.

[kevaquarian]

Ah.... lane discipline - one of my 'pet hates' if you will! :-D This may be an aside to the thread but the main reason I see that lane discipline in this country is so appalling is that there's a nonsense stigma that names the inside lane as the 'slow' lane. As a result lots of people don't want to drive in that lane - 'I'm not slowwww'. I know it seems absurd but that's what I observe. Perhaps some others are just frightened and need loads of space around them at high speeds??? Anyway, crap lane discipline messes up the flow of traffic on motorways so if we had some reinforcement of good lane discipline I would support that fully!
I'm also for the idea of trying this stuff out - urban areas with slower moving traffic first, and definitely don't support the 'control first without thinking about what works' policy that we have currently.

[Martin Cassini]

In the wake of Hans Monderman, theory and practice about deregulation and shared space are usually applied to urban settings. It's easy to see filter-in-turn working at single lane junctions in built-up areas. Harder to picture two lanes filtering through two. My view is that if it works on a micro scale, why not on a macro? At major junctions at peak times some part-time control might be needed, but how do we know until we've tried it? It would be good to expand the trial gradually, then rein it back as necessary. The current system imposes controls as a matter of course, without even thinking. If we change the culture from bolshy main road priority to civilised equality, maybe FiT could work at major junctions and on rural roads too. The new courtesy could spread out to include motorways. Traffic lights on roundabouts at the end of motorway slip roads seem to me ludicrous. They generate congestion back up the motorway. The main change we need to see on motorways is lane courtesy. It's highway code to use the inside lane except when overtaking. FiT Roads could make the code more meaningful, so instead of coercion and competition, consideration became the norm.

[kevaquarian]

I guess it gets a bit boring with me agreeing with you all the time!! hahahaha - let it be known that I do READ all that you say BEFORE deciding where I stand!!
Seriously though - these issues of segregation/separation are key - and not just on the roads in cities! I see that in some circumstances it is actually beneficial to recognise the differing capabilities of cars and push bikes for example, and like on motorways, keep them separate for safety reasons and to allow each their different speeds. However, in built up areas I don't think this works. The environment is such that a shared space is the most effective policy. The steps that Martin and others point towards and are willing to take are brave ones - this is the empowering option - can we really trust ourselves to be awake enough to co-exist without controls?? I believe so. We can begin to move in that direction, and the traffic controls is a great model to start with..
Martin - what are your views on more major roads and junctions - 'A' roads and motorways etc - 4 lane roundabouts/junctions and the like?