Boom Boom - Out Go the Lights!

[Jerry Kail]

In my previous post, I described the theories of the late traffic engineer Hans Monderman, “the guy who hated traffic signs.” Monderman believed that signs and other traffic-control devices serve to shield drivers from their own sense of their surroundings and make them less alert to sudden unfolding situations. Based on these ideas, Monderman created the concept of “shared spaces” in which drivers and pedestrians can coexist with a minimum of external controls.

You may be wondering what it would be like to navigate your way through a shared space. Well, as a friend of mine who read my Monderman post pointed out, you most likely have experienced such a situation.

Think of the last time you drove up to a busy intersection, only to find the traffic lights not working. How did you react? Did you feel as if your autopilot switch were suddenly flicked off, thrusting you into a state of increased awareness? Did you become more tuned in to the movement of other cars and even try to make eye contact with their drivers to make silent agreements about who would go next?

As my friend described her own broken-traffic-light experience:

“You can almost feel the atmosphere change when that happens, when people, all of us, have to actually perk up and ‘drive’ - watching for each other and the whole big-picture situation.”

From my own experience, I would characterize it as an impromptu dance, choreographed on the spot – another example of the Daily Improviser’s art.