WOIFM

A Libertarian Plays in Traffic

Traditional traffic calming requires lots of rules. Stop signs, speed bumps, choke points, and the like. Sometimes it gets high tech - the new stoplight two blocks from my house only turns red if oncoming traffic goes faster than the posted limit.

Second generation traffic calming turns that paradigm on its head. Fewer, not more rules, require greater involvement and discreation by drivers.

I've observed this phenomenon in NYC as well, especially in dense areas of Manhattan like Midtown. People are always in the street, crossing against the light or jaywalking across even busy avenues or through stopped traffic. Cyclists run red lights, charge through busy crosswalks, and barrel down one-way streets the wrong way. Everyone pays a lot of attention to what they're doing, regardless of what the signs say or where the crosswalk is marked. And for the most part, it seems to work.

Spontaneous order, where official rules don't apply. Sounds like paradise.