A week back read an article in the Times of India about a town in Germany that did away with traffic signals. Not only this, it also tore down kerbs and erased all marked crosswalks. To quote from the article:
Bohmte has scrapped its traffic lights, torn down the kerbs and erased marked crosswalks. The main street is now shared equally by bikes, pedestrians, cars and trucks. Initiatives like this which aim to break the hegemony of cars are popping up across Europe.Now a really interesting result of this experiment was that the town actually witnessed accident rates declining! When I read the article, a thought came to my mind, can this work in India? And the very next moment, I found the very idea simultaneously revolting and ridiculous. Why, well, we already have many parts which do not have signals; sidewalks if they exist at all, are taken up either by hawkers or by motorists (yes, you can try to navigate the sidewalks of Bangalore or Pune!) and whoever saw marked crosswalks! Drivers lack even the basic courtesy, forget about road discipline, honking incessantly and overtaking even in a crowded street. Pedestrians consider the road as a park, strolling along without looking right or left. Add to this, the occasional cow ambling across the road. And what you have is nothing short of total mayhem! The philosophy of fewer rules is based on one simple thing - consideration for your fellow drivers, or pedestrians. But do we see that here? Everyone is in a tearing hurry, either to get to work, or to rush back home, or to catch that movie show. The article talks about the concept of "shared spaces" pioneered by Dutch engineer Hans Monderman. This concept can work when people take time to slow down a little bit. On the road. And in their lives as well... When they inculcate a little bit of discipline. But most of all, when they learn to be considerate about their fellow citizens. Till then, I don't think that fewer rules will lead to fewer accidents in Indian cities.
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