To warn or not to warn?

[Martin Cassini]

Regarding our JETs (Junction Efficiency Trials - awaiting the kiss of finance for lift-off), do we give the public advance notice of a traffic lights switch-off or not? The advantage of no advance warning is the possibility of a "purer" result, with behaviour uninfluenced, and a clear reading of how people interact without formal controls. Mind you, good results have been witnessed countless times when lights are out of action, indeed it's what started me off on this quest to change the system. But old habits die hard. Some road-users are over-cautious. Others insist on their legal right of way over others who were there first, sanctioned by priority. My view is that we should give advance notice of a change in culture, through a programme of re-education, to show that in the new civilised public realm, equality replaces priority, and might is no longer right. Despite conventional design and old bad habits, this is space to be shared equally. Above all, advance notice should communicate the fact that it's absolutely OK to act as you would in other social situations - by taking it in turns rather than insisting on artificial rights of way. So in my view the case for advance re-education is stronger than the argument against.