Very interesting article on Wired
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1...w=wn_tophead_7
reporting on experiments in removing road signs, traffic lights,
marking, even the edge beween the pavement and the road. If the
results mentioned are true, it seems the best way to cut down on
accidents and increase mobility is to remove anything that tells you
what to do and instead force drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to use
their eyes.

One excerpt:

"We drive on to another project Monderman designed, this one in the
nearby village of Oosterwolde. What was once a conventional road
junction with traffic lights has been turned into something resembling
a public square that mixes cars, pedestrians, and cyclists. About
5,000 cars pass through the square each day, with no serious accidents
since the redesign in 1999. "To my mind, there is one crucial test of
a design such as this," Monderman says. "Here, I will show you."

With that, Monderman tucks his hands behind his back and begins to
walk into the square - backward - straight into traffic, without being
able to see oncoming vehicles... "

R