Street Facts

 A standard response from councils to complaints about street clutter is that signs, bollards and guardrails are required for safety regulations. In fact very little is dictated by law.

Britain has the safest streets in europe
FALSE: Britain has been relatively successful in reducing casualties for drivers and car passengers. But this has been at a cost to other street users. Our record for child safety is particularly poor, and we have discouraged cyclists and pedestrians from using our streets. Beautiful, legible streets mean safer streets for all.

Traffic lights are essential for road safety and reducing congestion at busy junctions
FALSE: Traffic lights are only necessary where streets are designed for vehicle speeds above 30 mph. They do not necessarily reduce accidents. Uncontrolled junctions encourage lower speeds and greater caution, and can reduce delays to vehicles and pedestrians. Across Europe, many traffic lights are being removed at busy intersections with positive results.

 Unmarked objects in the middle of streets are a hazard to traffic
FALSE: Statues, fountains, trees and other landmarks can enhance road safety by emphasizing the unique identity of each place and forging a psychological link between the driver and his or her surroundings.

Standardised road signs and markings are essential
FALSE: Standardised signs may be appropriate for trunk roads and motorways. In built up areas, often they have little effect on driver behaviour. Legible streets with their own distinctive identity and sense of place achieve safety through enhancing driver concentration.

The only way to tackle poor driving, speeding traffic, or bad behaviour is to have more signs, tighter rules,and better enforcement
FALSE: Research and practice, both here and abroad, suggests that fewer signs and less control by authority allows social and cultural constraints to be more effective. Drivers become politer and rely more on eye contact to avoid other drivers.

 Guardrails are essential to improve pedestrian safety
FALSE: Barriers between pedestrians and traffic can encourage higher speeds and generate a false sense of security.They reduce visibility for children and people in wheelchairs and inconvenience all pedestrians. There is little evidence to suggest they improve long-term safety.

The only way to control parking is to use yellow lines and signs
FALSE: Some parking restriction signs are no longer legally required. And some towns have already adopted the simple principle, already widely used in mainland Europe, of identifying where you CAN park, rather than where you cannot.Yellow lines are unnecessary where parking would clearly cause an obstruction. Where used, they need be no wider than 50 mm.

White centre line markings are necessary on all but minor roads to help prevent collisions
FALSE: Recent evidence shows that centre lines increase traffic speed.They also reduce driver awareness of the surrounding activity by drawing the eyes towards the far distance.