Road signs suck. What if we got rid of them all?

Road signs suck. What if we got rid of them all?

Vox and 99% Invisible take a look at the  “shared spaces” movement which aims to remove signs and traffic lights from traffic intersections in favor of building intersections in which cars, pedestrians, and cyclists are equally free to roam.

Traditional intersections determine right-of-way through usage of stop lights and signs. Shared spaces place the responsibility of determining right-of-way with the individual motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

There are, of course, pros and cons to both. Accessibility is an issue with shared spaces. While traditional intersections give cars and motorist far too much power to harm.

In the video the traditionally implied “I have the right-of-way so get out of my way” legal authority of the green light is juxtaposed against the interactions seen in the shared spaces video. The result is interesting, people do not want to harm others. Cars, which traditionally blindly follow light and sign designations for moving about, are forced to think about their movement through shared spaces as drivers naturally don’t want to injure others.