Kilkenny City Centre Business Association (KCCBA ) has been proactive once again with their efforts to solve the traffic management issues that are affecting Kilkenny’s city streets during peak times on a daily basis.
And they have been advised by a an expert traffic consultant to switch off certain traffic lights in the city on a trial basis to observe traffic flow.
Last week Martin Cassini visited the city and offered his advice on the traffic problems that affect Kilkenny’s retail core.
Martin Cassini, a TV programme-maker and campaigner for traffic system reform, advocates replacing priority (an engineering model ) with equality (a social model ) to provide a level playing-field on which all road-users can act sociably. This, he says, would remove the need for most traffic controls, and solve many of the road safety and congestion problems, which stem from those very controls.
His reforms overlap with the shared space movement of Ben Hamilton-Baillie, who visited the city last year and offered his advice on the way forward for the city.
He also believes that peaceful coexistence can flourish when road-users are free to use their own judgement on roads designed to stimulate rather than enforce appropriate conduct. His ideas also echo the theory of spontaneous order, which states that the more complex the dance of human movement (eg, a skateboard park ), the less useful are attempts to control it.
Mr Cassini last week proposed measures, including a trial ‘switch-off’ of traffic lights at the Parade, Rose Inn Street and High Street, which he believes would ease the city centre’s traffic congestion, while also giving pedestrians and cyclists a better experience.
In September 2009, Cassini spearheaded a trial to turn off traffic lights in Portishead in the UK, a town with a similar population to Kilkenny.
The ‘switch-off’ has now been made permanent after some journey times fell by over 50 per cent with no measured reduction in pedestrian safety, despite greater numbers now using the route. The KCCBA is urging Kilkenny Borough Council to consider Cassini’s recommendations for a trial ‘switch-off’, believing his approach could form part of the association’s vision to create an enhanced experience of the city centre for all its users, building vibrancy and vitality, while protecting Kilkenny’s unique heritage and environment.
