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A typical Dutch 1960s apartment building
in a typical 1960s residential street.
It is wide, has a center line and the maximum speed for motor traffic
is 50 kilometers per hour (31mph). But the carriageway was cut in half
and the speed is now 30 kilometers per hour (19mph). Many streets in this
neighborhood where narrowed recently
and the speeds were lowered. So what is the story here?
These streets can be found in the north part of Utrecht
in the Netherlands in an area of the city that was designed in the
1960s
as a large expansion. If we zoom in on the northwest quadrant
we see that the area has very clear borders, formed by the wide 1960s
arterial roads
and a canal. There are are relatively many neighborhood access roads
and all the streets were designed for a speed 50 kilometers per hour.
To increase livability and safety the city wanted to modernize the area
by changing the flow of traffic. By blocking some strategic streets
and by reducing the speed to 30 kilometers per hour in many others,
the number of neighborhood access roads was dramatically
reduced. This is now the only through route
with a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, all the other residential streets
have now become 30 kilometers per hour zones. But how do you change
a former main street into a small residential street?
Just putting up a sign informing the speed is lowered
would be a useless thing to do. If the streets look like through streets
they will be used as if they are just that. So a more drastic redesign was needed.
One-half of the asphalt was removed completely.
The remaining carriageway is now exactly half the width
it was before. Another look from a different angle.
This is the original width of the street. The design is inviting to drive at higher
speeds.
But in the new situation motor speeds are so low
that motor traffic and cyclists almost go
equally fast. This little girl on her bicycle
takes all the space she needs. Motor traffic has to negotiate
who goes first in the remaining space. Speed bumps
are friendly to cyclists but not to motor traffic.
And the speed bumps double as pedestrian crossing. The space taken from the
carriageway
has been used for new trees and green plants. If you look carefully
you can still see where the former center line was scraped of the asphalt.
Now the street is only half as wide, the original "shark teeth"
are in the wrong place, but they had to be removed
anyway. In a 30 kilometer per hour zone
there are no main streets with priority over side streets.
On all junctions traffic, from the right has the right of way
So all the old indications of priority
were removed. Traffic now has to be careful
and negotiate the right of way at every crossing.
This is one of the streets before it was blocked.
Now the entrance was closed to motor traffic. All these measures were
taken to concentrate motor traffic
where it is wanted and to keep it out of the residential streets.
That became calm and quiet.
The transformation sends out a very clear message: the wide 1960s look
is now completely gone. The 21st century residential street
is not for fast motor traffic but much more for people.
Who after all live there. The area is now up to the latest traffic design
standards
and probably fit for the next 50 years.