No lights, No traffic

[kenty]

maybe not get rid of lights altogether, but in low speed areas (city, suburbs etc) it could work, but for highways have roundabouts

last year when reid was being fixed up and there was no lights at the great northern highway/ried highway intersection, they simply replaced it with a roundabout, which cut the waiting time ALOT, because you didnt stop you slowed down then went through

my 2c

[out_in_front]

Why wont it work in WA? if we start to impliment it people will change, Beleive it or not a person individually has intelligence (as a bunch we are usually defined by the lowest denominator) If we change things people will adapt. The reason that it all works in Europe is due to the population already has gone through those changes required.

[rc_sam]

So what happens when there's an accident? There'll be a shitfight over who is to blame.
Perth drivers can't even merge without getting all agro.

[smk]

A good start would be left turn on red, and more overpasses on highways.

[Pascal]

The interesting thing about the video is that no-one (other than the architects of the plan) thought it could possibly work. Everyone expected the worst, expected total chaos.

Instead people were forced to co-operate, to rediscover courtesy.

Currently Perth drivers are like the starving monkeys with long spoons** The above traffic experiment echoes that the monkeys can learn to understand that co-operation is better for everyone, whereas selfishness makes life increasingly unpleasant for everyone.

**you know, where the spoon is too long to feed themselves, so they'll starve unless they learn to feed each other.

[polonY]

Just yesterday there were a heap of traffic lights out in my area, everyone managed fine without crashing...you've just gotta be bold and go when there is a gap and not wait for cars to come to a complete stop

[fractoid]

I think after a few days the bad habits would creep in and chaos would reign. Just watch the merging lanes.

That's the key. The real reason it works better when the lights are out is that people are paying some goddamn attention for once. In a couple of weeks at most, they just get used to the new system and voila, back to snoozy town.

[Semi]

I don't think it would work as well for a set of lights where two 3 lane roads meet, but smaller intersections I think it would.

[XSorXpire]

Why it wouldn't work here?
ORS has spent a generation telling us that speed kills and using learning through punishment. If they had spent the same time teaching road craft and courtesy our town would be different.

Well done Dorrington for wasting a generation.

All it would have taken was a more educated and understanding person, not some washed out footy fuckwit with his head stuck up his arse.

[gongzee]

So what could have been a 10-15 minute walk, they instead used the car which took them 20minutes before the lights were taken off?

[RT]

in milan they turn the traffic lights off at off-peak times

[chew]

So where is this and how many sets of lights have they decommissioned? There are no traffic lights in Albany and my brother in law who had a panel shop there for a while reckoned it was great for business in spite of the high level of driver skill in that town *cough cough*.

[XSorXpire]

in milan they turn the traffic lights off at off-peak times

In Thailand they mostly ignore the traffic lights.

[mekon]

Last set of traffic lights I went through that had gone out (power failure) went fine, people being courteous until a bogan wearing white Oakleys in a commodore with a 'Justify Your Existence' sticker came screaming through the lot of traffic that was having it's "turn". Not happy he had to stop suddenly he decided horn and wheel spin was warranted.

Works almost anywhere in Europe but would fail most likely in Perth due to the "I must be first" pole-position mentality.

[Xuaxace]

wouldn't work in Perth....

During the March storm I was ridding through it. All traffic lights were off, I was very surpised how effectively people where driving, It was a pleasure to watch.

I think this can work, people can learn to adapt to new envioronments, we are human after all!



Edit: 1+ to Mekons post, I remember distintly a SS ute being a hero and breaking the Status quo during the downpour, driving like a maniac and making everyone nervous in an already bad driving situation. We can only hope darwinism takes hold.

[PFLB]

So what do you do if you want to walk across the road?

[Xuaxace]

Did you see the video? Drivers let people walk across the pedestrian walks.


(Again, this video is for smaller roads, nothing like walking past a highway.)

[PFLB]

Yeah don't think I would want to try that around here.

[Semi]

There's no lights in my backyard, and very little traffic. It works.

[Xuaxace]

Strong lack of faith in this thread.