BOHMTE, GERMANY - Like countless other communities, this west German town lived for years with miserable traffic on its two-lane main street, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to scamper for their lives.
Is it possible? Courtesy keeps German traffic moving
The traffic management plan removes stops signs, forcing people to rely on common sense and courtesy.
December 29, 2007 at 11:27PM
The usual remedies -- from safety crossings to speed traps -- did no good. So the citizens of Bohmte decided to take a big risk. Since September, they've been tearing up the sidewalks and erasing street markers as part of a radical plan to abandon nearly all traffic regulations and force people to rely on common sense and courtesy instead.
This contrarian approach to traffic management is gaining a foothold in Europe, where towns in the Netherlands, Denmark, Britain and Belgium have reclaimed their streets for all. And interest is spreading, with cities in countries from Australia to Canada sending emissaries to Europe to investigate.
The assumption is that drivers are accustomed to owning the road and rarely pay attention to signs anyway. Removing traffic lights and erasing lane markers, the thinking goes, will cause drivers to get nervous and slow down.
In Bohmte, a town of 13,000 people in the state of Lower Saxony, only two traffic rules remain. Drivers cannot go more than 30 miles per hour and everyone has to yield to the right, regardless of whether it's a car, a bike or a baby carriage.
Police officer Peter Hilbricht, giving a personal demonstration, bravely stepped into oncoming traffic. Cars immediately slowed down and gave Hilbricht a wide berth.
Still, he admitted that his uniform may have worked to his advantage. When a reporter tried the same thing, drivers barely hit their brakes.
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