BTA member and volunteer Janel Sterbentz (and PSU planning grad) is in France, and has been sending us photos and observations of bike infrastructure and culture there.
She took a trip to the southern coast recently and sent us some photos and a cool video of a traffic-controlless intersection in Avignon that seems to function on the principle put forward by the Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman, who argues (and has shown in some cases) that making road users unsure who has the right of way causes everyone to slow down and look at one another, therefore reducing speeds and crashes (see the Wired article on Monderman for more info) for more info on that). In the video, people march across the roadway without even looking, seeming to be confident that drivers will be focused on the roadway and not on, say, their cell phone or their frites with mayonnaise.
Here’s the video.
And here is her report:
“We spent our New Years in a small town on the ocean. When we travel, we bring our folding bikes and when we see an interesting place, we just take them out of the trunk, unfold them and bike around. It is a great way to travel, no bus/subway fares and you get to see more of the towns in a shorter amount of time. Then we find a quiet residential area, put the back seat down and the foam mattress, and go to sleep. It is the cheapest and most fun way I have ever traveled. The third pic is New Years morning, biking home from the festival.”
“I thought this was interesting, something I have never seen before. I didn’t know what it was at first, then I saw someone walking in the squared area. This road was not made wide enough for a sidewalk, and since it is in a residential area they created a ped/bike zone with squares. It merely indicates peds/bikes use the road and to be aware of these road users. If you see in the distance there is a speed limit sign that says 50, or about 30mph. This is just east of Toulon.” [Ed. note: I wonder if the hatches also have the visual effect of diminishing the apparent width of the road, making car drivers slow down a little bit. Sure looks narrow, doesn't it?]
“Some happy cyclists riding in the parking lane, in Cannes. Through the traffic they eventually beat us.”
“Sidewalks for bikes and peds, indications reduce conflicts. This is in a small town called Frejus south of Nice.”
