The Woonerf. A system of controlling traffic that would not even be considered an attempt at managing traffic. Ironically, it is the direction many countries are headed, and research has provided us with statistics that prove it is the right direction. This is the epitome of a modern day paradox that surprises many because the state of chaos that they expect does indeed occur, but to the benefit of society.
What is the Woonerf? Many may ask. It is a traffic management strategy started by the Netherlands where the use of traffic installations is removed in order to promote the use of "common sense" and personal awareness of drivers and pedestrians or any other road users to improve the overall safety on the roads. On Woonerf roads, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings are removed, and all roads are shared between pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles.
However, laws regarding the punishments meted out to drivers who injure cyclists and pedestrians still stand. Thus, all 3 parties stand to lose out in the event of an accident. A motorist would have to pay fines or be sent to jail for knocking down cyclists and pedestrians, and cyclists and pedestrians would be injured should they be involved in traffic accidents. With such a situation, all 3 parties would aim to reduce traffic accidents as it is not beneficial to any of the 3. Also, since they do not have any traffic installations to rely on anymore, they would be forced to observe the traffic conditions as well as the other road users around them in order to ensure that they are able to avoid traffic accidents.
The principle of the Woonerf is to reduce the reliance of people on traffic rules and installations. With traffic rules and installations already an integral part of societies, many have come under the impression that traffic accidents can be avoided so long as everyone follows traffic rules. But that in itself is the mistake. We assume that everyone will follow traffic regulations simply because we do. And because of our reliance on such a "perfect" system, we are unable to react appropriately when we are faced with individuals who decide to break these established rules. With the implementation of the Woonerf, jaywalking and running red lights has become legalised. It is not uncommon for people to hold activities on roads which are shared with cars. With so much happening and so little "attempts" at managing traffic, road users are left to "negotiate" with each other on who gets the right to use roads and who doesn't. A pedestrian who sees an oncoming speeding car would not cross the road, and a car travelling at slower speeds would allow pedestrians to cross. This is opposed to a system where a car would continue driving past a traffic light even if a pedestrian decides to jaywalk, simply because the system has given him the right of the way, or a pedestrian who crosses a junction without concern for speeding cars simply because the "green man" is up.
The Woonerf has much to show us. More than the way of managing traffic, the Woonerf has actually shown us how seemingly "perfect" systems have the potential to fail because systems, no matter how complex or how comprehensive they can get, are nothing more that "dead" objects meant to serve an inflexible role. That is also why the justice system has to have judges and lawyers who "operate" the system of rules set by a country. It is a wonder that few people have thought about injecting more life into a system like those in traffic management, which can arguably be referred to as the "heart" of nations, transporting people from one place to another. But as the Woonerf has already shown us, people have already begun to see the failures of systems when they lack a human presence. Perhaps, we would soon find ways to improve on other systems as well when we find out more of them that are failing to reap the desired results simply because they lack the human touch that has dwindled since the industrial revolution and the "rise of machines" that has replaced some roles once played by humans.
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