Cranston finds R.I. DOT installed some unapproved stop signs | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence JournalNovember 30, 2010
CRANSTON — A preliminary investigation into how nearly 700 stop signs not approved by the city were installed has found that all the stop signs on city roads intersecting state roads were placed by the state Department of Transportation, Mayor Allan W. Fung said Monday.
The investigation is continuing.
It is unclear how many of the 692 signs in question were installed by state workers.
City officials revealed the questionable signs last week after a months-long investigation that had three city employees driving around the city armed with color-coded maps that indicated the location of the 1,903 stop signs approved by the city.
The employees logged 692 stop signs on city streets that were not approved by the city for posting.
That figure did not include signs that were installed on state roads.
Fung said the preliminary investigation found that state transportation officials had posted stop signs on city roads at the intersection with state roads, following a state statute that requires a motorist to stop before entering a state road.
State workers also painted the “stop bars” on city roads at those intersections, Fung said.
Fung said the city’s legal staff was researching the legality and enforceability of those signs installed by the state without city approval.
Journal Staff
London Seeks to Reduce Congestion by Eliminating Traffic Lights
By RICHARD S. CHANGLondon is getting naked — well, getting naked streets. Naked streets are those without traffic lights and stop signs.
I wrote about naked streets a couple of years ago, when a village in Germany suddenly decided to rid itself of traffic lights and all other road accoutrements. The idea wasn’t even new back then. Towns in Holland, Denmark and Belgium have had naked streets for years.
But London would be the first major city to attempt order through apparent disorder, if an experiment proves successful. Boris Johnson, the city’s mayor, is behind an effort to switch off traffic lights in the city’s center, according to the Telegraph.
“We will be creating a bit of indecision in all road users’ minds to create a safe environment,” said Martin Low, Westminster City Council’s head of transportation, which is conducting the experiment with Transport for London. “When lights are out we have noticed that drivers are far more considerate and show more care and attention than they are when they have the reassurance of traffic lights.”
The experiment is slated for around Westminster Abbey (at the intersection of Victoria Street and Strutton Ground) and will last six weeks. For the first two weeks, the lights will operate as normal. The lights will be shut off the following two weeks, and then turned back on for the final two weeks. Closed-circuit cameras and license-plate recognition cameras will monitor driver and pedestrian response.
Should the experiment be successful, London could switch off as many as 20 percent of the city’s 400-some traffic lights. Mr. Johnson said earlier this year that he envisioned “a future where pavements would blend seamlessly with roads.”
Like New York, London is in the midst of transforming its roadways. While the city’s congestion charge has received the most publicity, Mr. Johnson is also trying to promote cycling in the city. Part of that push is to institute a cycle sharing program similar to the Velib service in Paris, and to make cycling much safer. Last month, London began Cycle Friday, a two-month program in which cyclists are led into the city center by volunteer marshals, who dispense advice on safety. Naked streets are also meant to make the streets safer for cyclists.
Reports often cite the town of Drachten, Holland, as an example. Accidents at one major intersection fell from 36 in four years to two in the two years after traffic lights were removed. The flow of traffic also improved despite a rise in traffic volume.
No comments:
Post a Comment