When communities feel like street traffic is unsafe, they usually demand stop signs or traffic lights to be installed. But studies show that those devices may actually make streets less safe.
Noah Kazis talks with Prof. Reid Ewing of the University of Utah, author of the book Traffic Calming: State of the Practice. "
"They're good for traffic control," said Ewing of stop signs and traffic lights. "They're not so good for traffic calming." In other words, they help make traffic flow in a more orderly fashion, but not necessarily in a safer one.
"We kind of panned stop signs as a traffic calming measure," continued Ewing. "They don't do a lot for speeding, because there's a tendency for drivers to make up for the lost time."
Much more about the effectiveness and politics of traffic calming vs. stop signs at Streetsblog.
Thanks to Noah Kazis
FULL STORY: To Get Safer Streets, Traffic Lights and Stop Signs Aren’t the Answer
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