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Traffic in the City: A New Design Approach for Urban Public Spaces

Author(s): Diepens

Slidedeck Presentation Only:

7B_Diepens

Abstract:

Background/Context: In the typical Dutch city, the bicycle and other light vehicles have been experiencing a boom in popularity. Naturally, this has brought some major advantages for the functioning of the city, but this phenomenon is simultaneously accompanied by new problems, such as a tremendous increase in the diversity of modes of transport, vague legislation, inadequate infrastructure, and therefore an increase in road safety risks for all. These issues require a fundamentally different approach to the designing of urban public space: a new design approach enabling us to respond in a more adequate manner to the changes of today and tomorrow. The ANWB, the Dutch traveler's association, together with partners, initiated the research.

Aims/Objectives: The objective of the research is 'to develop a generically applicable design methodology, with which the urban public space (including the traffic infrastructure) can be reconfigured, whilst simultaneously considering quality of life, safety, and accessibility demands and requirements.'

Methods/Targets: Desk research (reconnaissance), consultation of experts, stakeholders, and ANWB members, workshops in pilot cities, conception of the design approach.

Results/Activities: The design methodology revolves around 2 main principles: (1) the permissible speed is a characteristic of the infrastructure; (2) a vehicle's mass and dimensions determine where it will or will not be accepted. Vehicle families are thus created, and are subject to different rules given the characteristics of the street or road traffic and place functions. A network screen program was then developed and tested across 3 Dutch pilot cities. The design methodology was presented at all levels of government, and even debated in parliament.

Discussion/Deliverables: Learned a new approach for improving traffic safety in urban areas. Limitations exist as a result of the research being based on a theoretical approach, rather than a practical application.

Limitations and challenges that need to be addressed include:

  • The sorting and substantiating of the exact limits of vehicle families.
  • Developing a logical design methodology that can be implemented in multiple analytical and implementation phases
  • Ensuring enough expertise and available info to set up a preferred structure for both the spatial zoning and the traffic networks
  • Further dinstinguishment of vehicle families, extending to vehicle size, registration and traffic behaviour
  • Honing the ideal structure of an urban zone and providing expertise for zones across various urban forms
  • Development of legislation for speed-reducing measures
  • Development of design principles
  • Expansion of design approach to outside urban areas

The next steps included the implementation of phased pilots. These pilots are now underway, and further research will follow based on their evaluation.

Conclusions: The safest street designs emerge when safety and consideration of when to mix and when to separate modes are present both in the network development (structural level) and at the street level design.

The key when designing public space is to opt for a suitable speed regime, which offers the optimum for both spatial quality and traffic function. In those locations where this is not successful, the remedy is often to reduce the design speed, whereby more merging becomes possible and opportunities arise for a more efficient utilisation of space.