Keys to shared streets by John Massengale

When drivers slow down to 20 mph or below, they are less likely to hit people and much less likely to seriously injure or kill people if they do hit them—that's one insight that Dutch designers and engineers learned when they began to implement shared spaces, according to a New York Times article by John Massengale. The article features the images below:

Massengale, an architect, author, and urbanist, says Dutch designers also learned:

• The best way to slow cars down is to throw away all the techniques that traffic engineers developed to make traffic flow quickly.
• When you throw out all the detritus of traffic engineering, it becomes much easier to make beautiful places where people want to walk. Bike riding becomes more pleasant and safer as well.