Simples?

[Martin Cassini]

Have I been pussyfooting around for too long with hypotheses? Over the last two years, in association with a traffic engineer, I've been pitching lights v no-lights trials to "test the hypothesis" (prove the point) that self-controlled, unregulated traffic flow could bring transformational gains in efficiency, safety, road-user interaction, air quality and quality of life. The first switch-off, in Portishead, has gone permanent after congestion disappeared with no loss of pedestrian safety. Freedom to filter is in a different league to the current system of prohibition, especially if it's combined with culture change, public awareness, roadway redesign and changes to the law (which in this case it wasn't, so blind people have boycotted the junction). For my money it proved the hypothesis. But the traffic engineer, ever (over?)-cautious, said it only proves that natural flow works at that particular location. Come on, you can generalise from the particular, I said! "Not necessarily," he said. I can see that at multi-lane junctions at peak times some control might be needed, but how do we know until we've tried it? "It shouldn't be up to us to prove controls are unnecessary," said Kenneth Todd, "but for the authorities to prove otherwise - something they have never done". Traffic engineers have had things on their own terms for decades. So a challenge to accepted wisdom - that traffic needs managing because it can't manage itself - has to prove a negative case, which would be easier if it were funded. But all the funding goes into systems of control.

[Rob Grant]

Hi Martin,

I am very interested in this...you mention that the concept has gone permanent since the trial. Is there any available report on the success of the scheme you may be able to help me get hold of? I would love to use it in a piece of research I'm doing.

Rob