From traffic dominance…

Declining high streets, deserted villages, streets where the usual civilities of communities disappear. Streets configured for the movement of vehicles come at a cost. Fewer conversations, fewer children, fewer shops opening onto pavements.

Noise, pollution, danger, discomfort, and the congestion and frustration of stop-start traffic.  Conventional traffic engineering rarely contributes to successful public space.

Is it necessary to dedicate so much space to traffic? Do we need to banish children to back gardens – pedestrians and cyclists to the margins? Occasional crossings and guardrails merely reinforce the wider priority for vehicles. Signs, markings, signals, cameras and all the paraphernalia of highways encroach into the streets and spaces that have always served as the backdrop for exchange, for interaction – for life.