This is an informative report intended for municipalities, housing companies, consultants and groups of private individuals to be used in the planning of new and old areas. Three main issues are considered: (1) traffic safety, which is achieved by well located open spaces and footpaths separated from the car-traffic and by keeping the number of cars and speeds low in the neighbourhood. (2) accessibility to the entrances, which is necessary primarily for handicapped persons with their own cars or transported by public aid, for emergency vehicles and for transporting certain goods. The need to come close to the entrances is less important for ordinary traffic. (3) variety of experience. The choice of traffic system has a considerable influence on the conditions of street-life by providing stimulating contacts, nice spaces and a beautiful and attractive appearance in general. Also the design of the details of the traffic environment is very important in our experience of the environment. The traffic environment consists of footpaths, local streets, car parks, foot-bridges, pedestrian subways and details such as bumps, narrow passages, curves and other traffic obstacles. In designing, locating and combining the different parts of the traffic environment there has to be a careful balance between demands for security, accessibility and variety of experience. These parts of the traffic environment are considered in this report both separately and by considering examples of housing areas with different traffic systems. The report concludes with a brief description of existing laws and regulations. This is the English translation. Original report is in Swedish.
Abstract