BOHMTE, Germany — Like countless other communities, this west German town lived for years with a miserable traffic problem. Each day, thousands of cars barreled along the two-lane main street, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to scamper for their lives.
The usual remedies, from safety crossings to speed traps, did no good. So Bohmte residents decided to take a risk. Since September, they’ve been tearing up the sidewalks, removing curbs 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. This contrarian approach to traffic management is gaining a foothold across Europe. Removing traffic lights and erasing lanes, the thinking goes, will cause drivers to get nervous and slow down.
“Generally speaking, what we want is for people to be confused,” said Willi Ladner, a Bohmte deputy mayor. “When they’re confused, they’ll be more alert and drive more carefully.”
The Washington Post
