Naked Roads

‘Naked roads’ are roads without any of the usual street furniture such as traffic lights, signs, kerbs, white lines and other road markings.

Although initially this may seem like it would cause chaos on the roads and an increase in road crashes, at specific types of location naked roads have had the opposite effect and improved safety, according to some reports.

Although it is thought the naked road idea has its roots in the Home Zone (or woonerf) concept, it is largely attributed to Hans Monderman, who was appointed Head of Road Safety for the northern provinces of the Netherlands in the 1980s. Monderman was given a wide brief to tackle rising pedestrian casualties in towns and villages, and having studied incident reports and conventional traffic engineering for many years, he decided to try a very different, psychology-based approach to improving road safety in some locations where space was shared by a range of road users. Monderman said: “When faced with a safety problem, most engineers tend to install something additional. My instinct is always to take something away.” [1]

Monderman’s belief stemmed from the recognition by behavioural psychologists that single-purpose road such as motorways demand different cognitive skills to the complex human context of shared space in towns. Single-purpose roads benefit from simple, repetitive signs and signals. But it is believed that the opposite is true in a shared space. [2]

Below are details of three naked road schemes created by Monderman.

Drachten, the Netherlands

Drachten was a 17th century village that has now grown into a town of more than 40,000. A busy intersection in the town which handles more than 20,000 cars, buses and trucks a day has been transformed by removing traffic lights, road markings and some pedestrian crossings; and in their place installing a simple roundabout. There are no signs telling drivers what speed to travel at or who has the right of way. There are no lane markers or kerbs separating the street and pavement and it is unclear where the road ends and the path begins. [3]

However, by encouraging human activity close to the junction and relying on eye contact rather than conventional signals and signs, traffic queues appear to have diminished and safety appears to have improved. [4] Monderman says: “Pedestrians and cyclists used to avoid this place, but now, the cars look out for the cyclists, the cyclists look out for the pedestrians, and everyone looks out for each other. You can’t expect traffic signs and street markings to encourage that sort of behaviour. You have to build it into the design of the road.” [5]

Makkinga, Friesland, the Netherlands

Makkinga is a small village in Friesland, which is a province in the north of the Netherlands. The village of Makkinga has a central high street running through it, which is used by children getting to school and by people passing through the village. It is also popular with tourists and has a flea market. The highway in Makkinga used to follow the design principles that traffic was given priority over pedestrians and cyclists. Traditional traffic control measures such as lights, traffic calming and signage were used. As with the scheme in Drachten, Monderman removed all traffic signs, markings and other instructions to drivers to prevent the road looking like a space designed for traffic. This created a more social space which encourages drivers to make eye contact with other road users to inform them of their intended actions.

Key features of the scheme in Makkinga:
- Signs and road markings relating to traffic were removed - Street design was changed to reflect the historical pattern of the settlement - The footway is almost level with the highway and segregated from traffic by bollards - Traffic speeds have been significantly reduced to less than 30kph - Casualties fell by 10% in the three years following the re-design [6]

Oosterwolde, Friesland, the Netherlands

Oosterwolde, also in the province of Friesland, is a town which used to have a busy intersection controlled by traffic priority rules and traffic islands. The intersection is located in the centre of town where people shop, bus stops are situated and where traffic enters and leaves town. However, Monderman used the same approach to the above schemes to transform the highway in Oosterwolde into one with no signs, markings or instructions. Key features of the scheme in Oosterwolde: - All traffic control features, including priority signs and road markings were removed
- The edges of junctions have been kept square and there is no footway
- The junction has been redesigned to resemble a public square, using brickwork instead of asphalt
- The ‘square’ is used far more as a public space, with extension of street cafes, seating areas and more use by children
- Speeds and casualties have both been reduced [7]

Where else do we find naked roads?

Christiansfeld, Denmark

A busy intersection in Christiansfeld, Denmark, witnessed an average of three people killed or seriously injured each year during the 1990s, despite traffic signals, signs and road markings. In a bid to improve safety, all signs and markings were removed and the junction was resurfaced to tie in with its role as the focal point of the town. People in cars, on foot and on bicycles must now rely on eye contact and vehicles cross the intersection at speeds of 10-15mph. In the two-and-a-half years following the completion of the scheme, the intersection has experienced no serious incidents. [8]

Latton, Wiltshire, UK

Latton is a small village on the C419, a rural road close to the market town of Cricklade in Wiltshire. Prior to any changes, the C419 carried just under 2,000 vehicles per day, with some gravel traffic to and from local pits. The village speed limit was 40mph and 85 percentile speeds were in excess of the speed limit. The road is wide and straight and has one main junction with Gosditch, the main access to much of the rest of the village. Although there was no history of casualties at the site, residents were worried about the speed of traffic on the road and a ‘psychological’ traffic-calming scheme was developed to reduce speeds and increase perceived safety in the village. The scheme was in conjunction with a lowering of the speed limit to 30mph. The scheme was designed by TRL, in conjunction with David Huskisson Associates, Wiltshire County Council, Latton Parish Council and other consultants as part of a research project assessing ‘psychological’ traffic calming measures. The main components were:
- Stone gateways with village name plate and speed limit signs
- Build-outs with planting to create new parking bays on alternate sides of the carriageway
- Removal of the centre white line
- Buff-coloured surfacing near the bus stops at the main junction, a section considered most likely to be crossed by pedestrians
- New bus bay

The traffic flow and speed was monitored before (January 2003) and after (November 2004) the scheme was introduced. Inbound average speed fell by 8mph at the north gateway and 4mph at the southern gateway, both to 37mph (the speed at the southern gateway was already lower than the northern one). In the village, two-way average speeds fell by 7-8mph to 31mph and 85th percentile speeds fell by 8-10mph to 37-38mph. This was despite under-use of the parking bays that allowed two large vehicles to pass alongside each other by partially straddling the parking bay. Although more than half of the vehicles travelling through the village still exceeded the new 30mph speed limit during the ‘after’ survey, the number exceeding 40mph fell from 50% to around 10%.

A full report on ‘Psychological Traffic Calming’ including details of the Latton scheme, is available from the TRL website. [9] To date, Wiltshire County Council has assessed a total of 12 sites for psychological traffic calming.

What effect have naked roads had on road safety?

The removal of signs and road markings has led to an improvement of casualty figures in parts of Holland, Denmark and Sweden. In Christiansfeld, the number of casualties fell from three per year to zero following the implementation of the naked road. [10] It is believed that the uncertainty of who has the right of way leads to reduced speeds and improved safety. [11] As seen in the above case studies, naked roads can have a positive effect in some circumstances, but it should not be assumed that the concept would work in every situation.

Although it has been demonstrated that it is possible to design a traffic calming scheme without introducing measures such as road humps, chicanes or one-way working, each road needs to be considered individually. TRL research shows that psychological traffic-calming measures can reduce speeds in some areas, for example by using road designs that create uncertainty; emphasize a change of environment, such as a village boundary; or increase perceived (but not actual) risk, for example by using visual techniques to make the road seem narrower. TRL has developed guidelines for designing a successful psychological traffic calming scheme, including: - Consistent treatment of a whole length of road
- Centre of the village must treated in addition to gateways
- Visual and physical road narrowing
- Limiting of forward visibility/ breaking up of sightlines to increase driver awareness
- Removal of white line in conjunction with the physical narrowing at parking bays to create uncertainty[12]

It is important to note that there is no single psychological measure that can be applied to all roads to reduce speeds and casualties. Psychological principles should be applied to individual situations only where they will fit in with the usage of the road and where they will have a positive, as opposed to a negative effect, on road safety.

What are the plans for the future?

As discussed above, the naked road concept is not one that can be applied universally and be expected to improve road safety in all areas. However, the idea, or at least parts of the idea, might play a part in many schemes in the future. We have already seen the development of several Home Zones in the UK (click here for the Brake information sheet on Home Zones), as well as the implementation of some naked road schemes.

Exhibition Road, Kensington, UK

The Exhibition Road Project in Kensington, London, aims to restore pedestrian priority to the street. Rather than excluding vehicles, this will be achieved by re-designing the streetscape to reduce the speed of vehicles to below 20mph. It is expected that this will encourage drivers to engage far more with pedestrians and their surroundings in general. The design will reduce street clutter and will incorporate attractive walking routes with more trees and imaginative lighting along Exhibition Road. The changes will include: - More generous space for pedestrians; - The elimination of steps and dropped kerbs; - Increased opportunities to cross the flow of traffic thereby improving convenience; - The removal of barriers and bollards in response to slower vehicle speed. The project began in 2003 with a design competition. It has received objections from charities representing blind people, who navigate by kerbs. Click here to find out more about the Exhibition Road Project.

Clutter Challenge

Not all campaigns to remove street clutter have road safety as their main priority. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has been trying to reduce unnecessary street clutter (including signs, road markings and other street furniture) in an attempt to prevent the urbanisation of the countryside. The CPRE states that: “The volume and speed of traffic on rural roads and through villages is a major threat to the tranquillity and character of the countryside. Highways authorities have a key role to play in managing this traffic. In undertaking this task, however, it is important that countryside character is respected. A profusion of signs, the over zealous use of painted lines on roads, or poor attention to the detail of design in new street furniture increases the impact of transport on the countryside.” In August 2004, the CPRE launched a Clutter Challenge, asking highways authorities to promote ‘clutter free’ schemes in the countryside. To find out more about the Clutter Challenge, visit the CPRE website.

[1] Ben Hamilton-Baillie, Streets Ahead, (Countryside Voice, Autumn 2005)

[2] Ben Hamilton-Baillie, Streets Ahead, (Countryside Voice, Autumn 2005)

[3] Tom McNichol, Roads Gone Wild, (Wired Magazine, December 2004)

[4] Ben Hamilton-Baillie, Streets Ahead, (Countryside Voice, Autumn 2005)

[5] Tom McNichol, Roads Gone Wild, (Wired Magazine, December 2004)

[6] Makkinga and Oosterwolde, Friesland, Netherlands (Transport 2000’s New Life for Main Roads, August 2004)

[7] Makkinga and Oosterwolde, Friesland, Netherlands (Transport 2000’s New Life for Main Roads, August 2004)

[8] Ben Hamilton-Baillie, A Street Revolution, (Green Places, June 2004)

[9] Psychological’ Traffic Calming, TRL641, (TRL, 2005)

[10] Ben Hamilton-Baillie, A Street Revolution, (Green Places, June 2004)

[11] Ben Hamilton-Baillie, A Street Revolution, (Green Places, June 2004)

[12] Psychological’ Traffic Calming, TRL641, (TRL, 2005)

Back to top