Transport chief's Dublin plan: confuse drivers to cut crashes

Dublin- TAKE A street in Dublin. Eliminate the footpaths. Get rid of all the "clutter" - traffic lights, direction signs, pedestrian crossings and guard rails, then see what happens.
That's the experiment John Henry, director of the Dublin Transportation Office, wants to try out in the centre of the city.
"Without any signs, traffic will automatically slow down and there will be fewer accidents because drivers will take more care," he said confidently.
"The environment is what controls speed, not signs or rules. It's psychological. Signs like 'slow', 'stop' and 'yield' are often not seen by drivers. If you take the signs and kerb lines away, and say 'go figure it out yourselves', you're creating uncertainty - and that's safer."
Evidence from abroad, rather surprisingly, supports Mr Henry's novel proposal. Five years ago, the Dutch town of Drachten removed signs and traffic lights as part of a "naked streets" experiment - and accident figures plummeted as drivers became more cautious.
The idea of "going Dutch" was taken up by Daniel Moylan, deputy leader of the Tory-controlled London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Mr Moylan said it was "about re-civilising the city, to the benefit of all people who use the roads. We want to stop this top-down system of signs and signals to keep drivers and other road users apart, and give everyone back a sense of shared ownership and responsibility."
And that's what was done in Kensington High Street three years ago.