One of the things bicyclists struggle with now is positioning themselves in lanes designed for much wider vehicles. I have found when all lane markings are removed, it becomes MUCH easier, as bicyclists can maneuver and position themselves as needed without feeling that they are taking up an entire lane. The other vehicles then can negotiate around the bicyclist as needed.

It's often quite nice in the period after when they repave a road and when the stripe it. In my experience, traffic is slower and the road feels much calmer.

Speaking of "safety" features that don't work, has the city finally gotten rid of all the idiotic Giuliani/Hoehl pedestrian barricades?

Yes, but I didn’t write that there wasn’t any changes from before. I was referring to idea that there were still plenty of safety features, if the picture is an after one and that the headline and the reference to “naked road” is misleading at best, unless one would consider most of the streets in the New York City area to be “naked” as it appears to me that the picture doesn’t show anything very new compared to what I’m use to in the New York City area. Maybe the lines and traffic lights are somewhat smaller. Also, in regard to Monderman’s “favorite intersection” that is a traffic circle. Traffic circles also are not new. As to Monderman’s square, that maybe a new idea, but the article doesn’t say much about it.

I’m not saying that these ideas are not good ones. I just don’t see much that is new in regard to the redesign of Kensington High Street and with the traffic circle, when compared to what I’m familiar with. I like the idea of traffic circles. Also, again if the picture is after the change then there still are lots of safety features on Kensington High Street.

Tom,

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that London streets are really heavily, aggressively designed and engineered for "safety." For example, Ken High Street used to have all of this fencing running down the middle of it -- these kinds of cattle chutes that peds would have to walk through to cross the street. So, while this new street might not be as "naked" as a Hans Monderman project in the Netherlands, it's pretty naked compared to how it used to be.

Also, in the comments I clicked on the Wired article indicated by Rollie. I had read this before and it seems to me that the most important change for Monderman’s “favorite intersection” was the building of the traffic circle or round about. It has long been known that merging traffic; such has what happens at traffic circles or limited access highways are safer than the right angle intersection and therefore do not need traffic lights or other such things. It seems that the traffic circle made these other things unneeded by eliminating crossing traffic.

Tom,

I would suggest that in some places (though definitely not everywhere) those despised Class III bike routes are the safest way to provide for bike traffic. And they are safe for the same reason that Kensington High Street is safe -- they remove the illusion of safety, and force bikes, cars and pedestrians to pay attention to each other.

Sometimes separated facilities are the best way to provide for bikes, but not always. I think it's important not to be ideological about this issue.

http://pri.morefairgame.org/