A SUSTAINABLY SAFE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT SYSTEM: DEJA-VU IN URBAN PLANNING?

In this article, the author draws a distinction between concepts which are devised and executed across compete urban areas (the so-called 'pan-urban' projects) and those within individual residential areas. Urban development projects are usually confined to the latter, residential area level. Modifications to the traffic structure are more often than not of a pan-urban nature, because traffic is not confined to one small area of a city, but tends to diverge across the whole road network. The article then sketches developments and trends based on a somewhat personal selection from influential books and reports dating from the early post-war years (or in some cases even earlier). This review of the 'old masters' is designed to examine whether: the knowledge and insight attained in days gone by is being applied; the urban traffic system can ever be controlled in all its facets; pan-urban concepts have a chance of success anyway. This sketch does not pretend to be complete. It does however give a good picture of the most important developments. The author then goes on to examine how these concepts relate to the most modern of the pan-urban concepts - the 'sustainably safe' traffic and transport system. A question to be raised here is whether this concept in fact introduces anything new. Using a fully worked through example, the author will show the possible application of 'old' knowledge to this latest concept.