Sign-Free Cities

Several European cities are following the example of the Dutch town of Makkinga, which has removed street signs as a means of fostering better driver/pedestrian interactions and ultimately increased safety for all. From a recent(ish) Der Spiegel article:

...About 70 percent of traffic signs are ignored by drivers. What's more, the glut of prohibitions is tantamount to treating the driver like a child and it also foments resentment. He may stop in front of the crosswalk, but that only makes him feel justified in preventing pedestrians from crossing the street on every other occasion. Every traffic light baits him with the promise of making it over the crossing while the light is still yellow.

...It may sound like chaos, but it's only the lesson drawn from one of the insights of traffic psychology: Drivers will force the accelerator down ruthlessly only in situations where everything has been fully regulated. Where the situation is unclear, they're forced to drive more carefully and cautiously.

Read the entire article here.