BikesAlive - Occupy Kings Cross - 23 January

by sharing the street, removed the unnecessary muiltple lane, lowering the kerbs to line up with the road, removed railing that prevent people from crossing the road, and of course, 20mph.

There are good and very attractive aspects to the 'shared space' concept, but there are significant problems too. The concept relies heavily on all street users being 'equal' and able to negotiate with each other, but if not carried out carefully can severely compromise some user groups ability to navigate the street (blind and partially-sighted, children, un-assertive cyclists etc).

It is also presently accepted that we need 'fast' streets for which shared space is innappropriate. These also need to be useable by a wide range of cyclists and pedestrians.

/notanexpert