On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 at 23:41:20, David Off
wrote:

Marc Brett wrote:
The pilot
projects were so successful in fostering better urban environments
that the ideas spread rapidly to Belgium, France

France? Traffic Calming... I guess the author has never been to France.

That's why it doesn't work..... if you go to St-Omer from the Tunnel via
the N road, not the motorway, you used to go through a village (now,
happily, bypassed) which had no fewer than 9 pedestrian crossings, as
advertised at the start of the speed limit signs. Never saw any
pedestrians using them, though, or any traffic taking any notice.

Some "passages cloutés" are raised up, though, making their own speed
bumps.
--
Annabel Smyth
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html
Website updated 6 June 2004

Annabel Smyth wrote:

[ ... ]

..... if you go to St-Omer from the Tunnel
via the N road, not the motorway, you used to go through a village
(now, happily, bypassed) which had no fewer than 9 pedestrian
crossings, as advertised at the start of the speed limit signs.
Never saw any pedestrians using them, though, or any traffic taking
any notice.

I have stopped at such crossing-places (in France and Belgium) in the past,
only to be met with bemused stares from the waiting pedestrians (who seem
not prepared to cross until all the traffic is dissipated - thereby undoing
the purpose of the the crossings) and blasts of the horn from following
drivers.


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On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 13:02:20 +0100, "JNugent"
wrote:

Annabel Smyth wrote:

[ ... ]

..... if you go to St-Omer from the Tunnel
via the N road, not the motorway, you used to go through a village
(now, happily, bypassed) which had no fewer than 9 pedestrian
crossings, as advertised at the start of the speed limit signs.
Never saw any pedestrians using them, though, or any traffic taking
any notice.

I have stopped at such crossing-places (in France and Belgium) in the past,
only to be met with bemused stares from the waiting pedestrians (who seem
not prepared to cross until all the traffic is dissipated - thereby undoing
the purpose of the the crossings) and blasts of the horn from following
drivers.


Same happened to me when I was cycling in France; stopped at "zebra
crossing" to allow waiting peds to cross. Result; peds continue to
wait, I continue to wait and motorised traffic continues to flow.
Bemused looks between cyclists and French people.