3 ways Southeast Asian cities can use active mobility to bounce

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Chintan Raveshia Cities Planning + Design Leader, Singapore

chintan.raveshia@arup.com+65 6411 2530Singapore, local time - 10:02 PM

The COVID-19 pandemic gave Southeast Asian cities a glimpse into a

more liveable future, as lockdowns cleared skies and brought a rare respite
from gridlock and pollutants. Some cities went further, leveraging the lack
of road traffic to experiment with car-lite concepts such as turning roads
into bicycle lanes. Beyond enabling commuters to walk, cycle or travel
using their personal mobility devices, I believe that active mobility is a
necessary paradigm shift for cities in the post-pandemic era. 

Pandemi COVID-19 memberi kota-kota Asia Tenggara pandangan sekilas

ke masa depan yang lebih layak huni, ketika penguncian membersihkan
langit dan membawa jeda langka dari kemacetan dan polusi. Beberapa
kota melangkah lebih jauh, memanfaatkan kurangnya lalu lintas jalan
untuk bereksperimen dengan konsep car-lite seperti mengubah jalan
menjadi jalur sepeda. Selain memungkinkan komuter untuk berjalan,
bersepeda, atau bepergian menggunakan perangkat mobilitas pribadi
mereka, saya percaya bahwa mobilitas aktif adalah perubahan paradigma
yang diperlukan untuk kota-kota di era pascapandemi

Here are three ways that I think Southeast Asian cities can get on track for
a brighter post-pandemic future.
Do more with less – explore tactical urbanism
Cities can start small with tactical urbanism initiatives. This involves
changing existing places and city systems through low-cost, temporary
community projects to bring positive social and economic outcomes. The
current low-traffic pandemic environment is the perfect time to do this,
and change attitudes and behaviours towards active mobility. Although
heat and humidity are oft-cited reasons in Southeast Asia for not walking
more, I led a walkability study that found that Kuala Lumpur
and Singapore have dramatically different levels of acceptance to walking.
Interventions to pedestrian infrastructure and street design make all the
difference in influencing perceptions of walking.

Kota dapat memulai dari yang kecil dengan inisiatif urbanisme taktis. Ini
melibatkan perubahan tempat dan sistem kota yang ada melalui proyek
komunitas sementara berbiaya rendah untuk membawa hasil sosial dan
ekonomi yang positif. Lingkungan pandemi dengan lalu lintas rendah saat
ini adalah waktu yang tepat untuk melakukan ini, dan mengubah sikap dan
perilaku menuju mobilitas aktif. Meskipun panas dan kelembapan
sering menjadi alasan di Asia Tenggara untuk tidak banyak berjalan
kaki, saya memimpin studi walkability yang menemukan bahwa
Kuala Lumpur dan Singapura memiliki tingkat penerimaan yang
sangat berbeda untuk berjalan. Intervensi terhadap infrastruktur
pejalan kaki dan desain jalan membuat semua perbedaan dalam
mempengaruhi persepsi berjalan.

The Jakarta ‘Safe Routes’ project is a good example. Government

agencies, public institutions and local residents collaborated on a
temporary road intervention. They painted a pedestrian path on shared
streets to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians to get to school,
home and a mass transit station. This low-cost pilot successfully changed
behaviours – traffic was calmer and 98% of students who walked from
their home used the painted path. 

Proyek 'Rute Aman' Jakarta adalah contoh yang baik. Instansi pemerintah,
lembaga publik dan penduduk setempat berkolaborasi dalam intervensi
jalan sementara. Mereka melukis jalur pejalan kaki di jalan bersama untuk
meningkatkan keamanan dan aksesibilitas pejalan kaki untuk pergi ke
sekolah, rumah, dan stasiun angkutan massal. Percontohan berbiaya
rendah ini berhasil mengubah perilaku – lalu lintas menjadi lebih tenang
dan 98% siswa yang berjalan kaki dari rumah mereka menggunakan jalur
yang dicat

There are opportunities to pilot new initiatives and build on existing ones.
Jakarta has begun remediating its interwoven canals, which can be turned
into active mobility corridors that stitch together disparate neighbourhoods
and forge valuable inter-community networks. Ho Chi Minh City could
better leverage the transformation of the district in Thao Dien. In 2012 it
turned a disused open area into a vibrant arts and entertainment venue,
enhancing the precinct’s attractiveness and walkability.

Ada peluang untuk memulai inisiatif baru dan mengembangkan inisiatif

yang sudah ada. Jakarta telah mulai memperbaiki kanal-kanal yang
terjalin, yang dapat diubah menjadi koridor mobilitas aktif yang
menyatukan lingkungan yang berbeda dan membentuk jaringan antar
komunitas yang berharga. Kota Ho Chi Minh dapat lebih memanfaatkan
transformasi distrik di Thao Dien. Pada tahun 2012, kawasan ini
mengubah area terbuka yang tidak digunakan menjadi tempat seni dan
hiburan yang semarak, meningkatkan daya tarik dan kemudahan berjalan
kaki.

Jakarta has begun remediating its interwoven

canals, which can be turned into active
mobility corridors that stitch together
disparate neighbourhoods and forge valuable
inter-community networks.

Jakarta telah mulai memperbaiki kanal yang

terjalin, yang dapat diubah menjadi koridor
mobilitas aktif yang menyatukan lingkungan
yang berbeda dan membentuk jaringan antar
komunitas yang berharga.

Make streets, not roads – invert the pyramid

City planners commonly plan roads before considering pedestrians’ and
cyclists’ needs. While roads serve a purpose as corridors for movement,
these wide swathes of tarmac often create severances within a city.
Streets, on the other hand, have a more diverse function. These are places
where social and economic activity occur and deserve priority in urban
planning. By prioritising streets, we are putting people and active mobility
first, and cars second. We must invert the pyramid and make more streets,
not roads.

Perencana kota biasanya merencanakan jalan sebelum mempertimbangkan

kebutuhan pejalan kaki dan pesepeda. Sementara jalan berfungsi sebagai
koridor untuk pergerakan, petak aspal yang luas ini sering membuat
pemutusan hubungan kerja di dalam kota.

Jalan, di sisi lain, memiliki fungsi yang lebih beragam. Ini adalah tempat
di mana aktivitas sosial dan ekonomi terjadi dan layak mendapat prioritas
dalam perencanaan kota. Dengan memprioritaskan jalan, kami
menempatkan orang dan mobilitas aktif di urutan pertama, dan mobil di
urutan kedua. Kita harus membalikkan piramida dan membuat lebih
banyak jalan, bukan jalan.

By reconfiguring large sections of road space and car parking lots to be

more ‘street-like’, London has demonstrated the tangible economic effects
of elevating the status of pedestrians. Its investment in walking and
cycling infrastructure increased retail spend by 30% and rental values by
7.5%. The economic benefits extend to higher property prices, rental
yields and more employment opportunities.

Dengan mengkonfigurasi ulang sebagian besar ruang jalan dan tempat

parkir mobil menjadi lebih 'seperti jalan', London telah menunjukkan efek
ekonomi yang nyata dari peningkatan status pejalan kaki. Investasinya
dalam infrastruktur berjalan kaki dan bersepeda meningkatkan
belanja ritel sebesar 30% dan nilai sewa sebesar 7,5%. Manfaat
ekonomi meluas ke harga properti yang lebih tinggi, hasil sewa dan lebih
banyak kesempatan kerja

Going beyond a people-first approach, Arup’s research has shown that

a child-centric approach to urban planning can have highly positive
outcomes. A child’s ability to get around independently and safely, play
outdoors and connect with nature in an urban environment are considered
strong indicators of high liveability standards. There’s better mental and
physical wellbeing for citizens of all ages, too.

Melampaui pendekatan yang mengutamakan orang, penelitian Arup telah

menunjukkan bahwa pendekatan yang berpusat pada anak untuk
perencanaan kota dapat memiliki hasil yang sangat positif. Kemampuan
seorang anak untuk berkeliling secara mandiri dan aman, bermain di luar
ruangan dan terhubung dengan alam di lingkungan perkotaan dianggap
sebagai indikator kuat standar kelayakan hidup yang tinggi. Ada
kesejahteraan mental dan fisik yang lebih baik untuk warga dari segala
usia juga

Create neighbourhoods as ‘campuses’

The pandemic compels rethinking of mono-use districts within a city. Due
to lockdowns and work-from-home arrangements, businesses in areas such
as Central Business Districts have been hit hard by the prolonged decline
in human and economic activity. 

Pandemi memaksa memikirkan kembali distrik penggunaan tunggal di

dalam kota. Karena penguncian dan pengaturan kerja dari rumah, bisnis di
area seperti Kawasan Pusat Bisnis telah terpukul keras oleh penurunan
aktivitas manusia dan ekonomi yang berkepanjangan.

Yet I have observed that 10-minute ‘campus-like’ neighbourhoods

offering a diversity of amenities and experiences within a short walk or
cycle from each other have been more resilient during the pandemic.
Singapore’s Tanjong Pagar is an example of a successful 10-minute
campus neighbourhood. Co-located within this vibrant and walkable
district is a mix of hotels, retail and food options, public and private
housing, heritage shophouses and skyscrapers – all stitched together by
corridors of green spaces, interconnected footpaths and streets. There is
something for everyone, and the diversity of visual and sensorial
experiences make it attractive to stop, shop and walk – in turn, enhancing
its resilience to the shock of the pandemic. 

Namun saya telah mengamati bahwa lingkungan 'seperti kampus' 10 menit

yang menawarkan beragam fasilitas dan pengalaman dalam jarak berjalan
kaki singkat atau bersepeda dari satu sama lain lebih tahan selama
pandemi. Tanjong Pagar Singapura adalah contoh lingkungan kampus 10
menit yang sukses. Terletak bersama di dalam distrik yang semarak dan
dapat dilalui dengan berjalan kaki ini adalah perpaduan antara hotel, ritel
dan pilihan makanan, perumahan publik dan pribadi, ruko warisan dan
gedung pencakar langit - semuanya disatukan oleh koridor ruang hijau,
jalan setapak dan jalan yang saling berhubungan. Ada sesuatu untuk semua
orang, dan keragaman pengalaman visual dan sensorik membuatnya
menarik untuk berhenti, berbelanja, dan berjalan – pada gilirannya,
meningkatkan ketahanannya terhadap goncangan pandemi

Campus-like neighbourhoods offering a diversity of amenities and experiences within a short

walk or cycle from each other have been more resilient during the pandemic.

Active mobility is not just a transportation issue or a city planner’s

problem. We’ve long known about the economic, social, public health and
environmental resilience of precincts that prioritise active mobility. We
just need to be better coordinators of different disciplines to transform our
physical environment and engineer lasting economic, social and
environmental change. 

Mobilitas aktif bukan hanya masalah transportasi atau masalah perencana

kota. Kami sudah lama mengetahui tentang ketahanan ekonomi, sosial,
kesehatan masyarakat, dan lingkungan dari kawasan yang
memprioritaskan mobilitas aktif. Kita hanya perlu menjadi koordinator
yang lebih baik dari berbagai disiplin ilmu untuk mengubah lingkungan
fisik kita dan merekayasa perubahan ekonomi, sosial dan lingkungan yang
langgeng.
While big infrastructural responses work from the top down, we must also
start small with tactical urbanism, transcend siloes with a collaborative
and ground-up community approach to understand diverse needs, and
refocus on people over cars. 

Every crisis is an opportunity to outdo our previous successes. In this era

of disruptions, let us focus not just on recovery and bouncing back, but on
revolutionising and bouncing forward. Prioritising active mobility is a
great place to start. 

Sementara respons infrastruktur besar bekerja dari atas ke bawah, kita juga
harus memulai dari yang kecil dengan urbanisme taktis, melampaui silo
dengan pendekatan komunitas kolaboratif dan membumi untuk memahami
beragam kebutuhan, dan memfokuskan kembali pada orang daripada
mobil.

Setiap krisis adalah kesempatan untuk mengalahkan kesuksesan kita

sebelumnya. Di era disrupsi ini, mari kita fokus tidak hanya pada
pemulihan dan bangkit kembali, tetapi pada revolusi dan pemantulan ke
depan. Memprioritaskan mobilitas aktif adalah tempat yang bagus untuk
memulai

A version of this article first appeared in Urban Solutions, Adapting to a

Disrupted World, Issue 18 by the Centre for Liveable Cities Singapore.

The sustainable route to improving road safety

Mike Evans Director, Global Leader of Highways

highways@arup.com+353 1 233 4455Dublin, local time - 3:39 PM

Despite improvements in our understanding of safe road design, safer

vehicles and many public campaigns against drink driving and speeding,
the number of road accidents continues to rise, with 1.35 million
preventable fatalities in 2018. The UN Sustainable Development Goal
target to reduce global road deaths and injuries from road accidents by
50% by 2020 is, by common agreement, going to be missed. It’s clear the
sector urgently needs new thinking and new solutions.

A world of changing causes

It might seem paradoxical, but achieving compliance with government-set
road safety criteria, while obviously essential, has proven insufficient to
produce a radical reduction in road accidents. In part the problem has
changed form as urbanisation and travel continue to develop. On today’s
streets certain users are disproportionately affected: more than half of
global road traffic deaths are amongst pedestrians, cyclists and
motorcyclists. Road traffic injuries are the leading killer of people aged 5
to 29 and the death rate is 3x higher in low income countries.

Why these groups? A mix of increased urbanisation, growing populations,

growing numbers of motor vehicles in some countries, lack of segregation
of road users, all combining in new ways that lead to unsafer roads. 

We believe that the best way to reduce the fatality and injury statistics is to
approach the problem in an integrated manner, prioritising wider
sustainability goals. Beyond core road design and layout and lighting and
signage, we must design and manage road schemes differently,
recognising that road safety outcomes are heavily influenced by the wider
range of social, environmental, economic and not simply the technical
vehicle and infrastructure related outcomes.

Ini mungkin tampak paradoks, tetapi mencapai kepatuhan dengan kriteria

keselamatan jalan yang ditetapkan pemerintah, meskipun jelas penting,
telah terbukti tidak cukup untuk menghasilkan pengurangan radikal dalam
kecelakaan di jalan. Sebagian masalah telah berubah bentuk seiring
dengan berkembangnya urbanisasi dan perjalanan. Di jalan-jalan saat ini,
pengguna tertentu terpengaruh secara tidak proporsional: lebih dari
setengah kematian lalu lintas jalan global terjadi di antara pejalan kaki,
pengendara sepeda, dan pengendara sepeda motor. Cedera lalu lintas jalan
adalah pembunuh utama orang berusia 5 hingga 29 tahun dan tingkat
kematiannya 3x lebih tinggi di negara-negara berpenghasilan rendah.
Mengapa kelompok-kelompok ini? Perpaduan antara peningkatan
urbanisasi, pertumbuhan populasi, pertumbuhan jumlah kendaraan
bermotor di beberapa negara, kurangnya pemisahan pengguna jalan,
semuanya bergabung dengan cara baru yang mengarah ke jalan yang tidak
aman.

Kami percaya bahwa cara terbaik untuk mengurangi statistik kematian dan
cedera adalah dengan mendekati masalah secara terpadu, dengan
memprioritaskan tujuan keberlanjutan yang lebih luas. Di luar desain dan
tata letak jalan inti serta penerangan dan rambu-rambu, kita harus
merancang dan mengelola skema jalan secara berbeda, mengakui bahwa
hasil keselamatan jalan sangat dipengaruhi oleh jangkauan yang lebih luas
dari hasil sosial, lingkungan, ekonomi dan bukan hanya kendaraan teknis
dan infrastruktur yang terkait.

Human-centred roads
Safety will only improve when every road or street project takes an
outcome-led or human-centred design approach. The danger of only
requiring projects to meet safety compliance criteria, is that the focus on
wider social/safety outcomes often diminishes over time. And with a new
generation of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles currently being
tested before their introduction onto our roads and streets, a deeper and
more insightful approach to safety will be vital. Big data is also playing a
role, helping us to sharpen how we design and operate our streets,
highways and the related connections that we need.

Keselamatan hanya akan meningkat ketika setiap proyek jalan atau jalan
mengambil pendekatan desain yang berorientasi pada hasil atau berpusat
pada manusia. Bahaya dari hanya mensyaratkan proyek untuk memenuhi
kriteria kepatuhan keselamatan, adalah bahwa fokus pada hasil
sosial/keselamatan yang lebih luas sering kali berkurang seiring waktu.
Dan dengan generasi baru kendaraan otonom dan semi-otonom yang saat
ini sedang diuji sebelum diperkenalkan ke jalan raya dan jalanan kami,
pendekatan keselamatan yang lebih dalam dan lebih berwawasan akan
sangat penting. Big data juga berperan, membantu kami mempertajam cara
kami merancang dan mengoperasikan jalan raya, jalan raya, dan koneksi
terkait yang kami butuhkan.
Analysing where and when accidents take place can lead to different road design and operation
decisions

The sustainable approach to road safety

Interventions which focus on wider sustainability outcomes can deliver
road safety benefits. Let's look at what this means in practice:

Safer interchange design: Already common in the USA and emerging in

Australia, diverging diamond interchanges (a type of innovative
interchange) move more traffic through an intersection, improving
congestion and journey times while taking up less road space. They also
have proven safety benefits - data from the US confirms that crashes are
reduced both in number and severity. The design of DDIs reduces the
potential conflict points by about 50% and reduces severe conflict points
from 10 to two compared with a traditional diamond interchange. Read
more about this approach to efficient interchanges.

Limit central urban road traffic: As cities redevelop their centres there’s
a great opportunity to improve road safety, shifting emphasis from private
cars and commercial vehicles, using designs that prioritise alternative and
more sustainable forms of travel. By studying local needs, travel
preferences and behaviours, you can design routes that reduce prevailing
traffic congestion and by reducing traffic from the core of the city, the risk
of personal injury also falls. Read more about this approach in Galway,
Ireland. 
Design with people in mind: Research is telling us more about how
human behaviour affects road safety outcomes. This can lead us to new
conclusions, like revisiting the placement and presentation of road signs
and other information, in line with what we now know about habitual
visual scanning patterns. It could also mean pushing for greater
consistency in the location of particular markers on a sign e.g. distance
markers next to junction numbers. Small changes, but that lead to safer
road behaviour.

Intervensi yang berfokus pada hasil keberlanjutan yang lebih luas dapat
memberikan manfaat keselamatan jalan. Mari kita lihat apa artinya ini
dalam praktik:

Desain simpang susun yang lebih aman: Sudah umum di AS dan muncul
di Australia, simpang susun berlian divergen (sejenis simpang susun
inovatif) memindahkan lebih banyak lalu lintas melalui persimpangan,
meningkatkan kemacetan dan waktu perjalanan sambil menggunakan lebih
sedikit ruang jalan. Mereka juga memiliki manfaat keamanan yang telah
terbukti - data dari AS menegaskan bahwa kecelakaan berkurang baik
dalam jumlah dan tingkat keparahan. Desain DDI mengurangi titik konflik
potensial sekitar 50% dan mengurangi titik konflik parah dari 10 menjadi
dua dibandingkan dengan pertukaran berlian tradisional. Baca lebih lanjut
tentang pendekatan ini untuk simpang susun yang efisien.

Batasi lalu lintas jalan perkotaan pusat: Saat kota-kota membangun

kembali pusatnya, ada peluang besar untuk meningkatkan keselamatan
jalan, mengalihkan penekanan dari mobil pribadi dan kendaraan
komersial, menggunakan desain yang memprioritaskan bentuk perjalanan
alternatif dan lebih berkelanjutan. Dengan mempelajari kebutuhan lokal,
preferensi perjalanan dan perilaku, Anda dapat merancang rute yang
mengurangi kemacetan lalu lintas yang ada dan dengan mengurangi lalu
lintas dari pusat kota, risiko cedera pribadi juga turun. Baca lebih lanjut
tentang pendekatan ini di Galway, Irlandia.
Desain dengan mempertimbangkan manusia: Penelitian memberi tahu kita
lebih banyak tentang bagaimana perilaku manusia memengaruhi hasil
keselamatan jalan. Hal ini dapat membawa kita pada kesimpulan baru,
seperti meninjau kembali penempatan dan penyajian rambu-rambu jalan
dan informasi lainnya, sejalan dengan apa yang sekarang kita ketahui
tentang pola pemindaian visual kebiasaan. Ini juga bisa berarti mendorong
konsistensi yang lebih besar di lokasi penanda tertentu pada sebuah tanda,
mis. penanda jarak di sebelah nomor persimpangan. Perubahan kecil,
tetapi itu mengarah pada perilaku jalan yang lebih aman.

A bigger vision
Core to achieving any sustainable development goal, is the need to think
about the full breadth of outcomes including safety related outcomes
throughout planning, design, delivery and operation of our roads and
streets. This ‘total design’ ethos takes us beyond compliance with safety
standards. Intensifying our focus on the wider social outcomes of road and
highway projects will lead to improved road safety
Inti untuk mencapai tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan apa pun, adalah
kebutuhan untuk memikirkan seluruh hasil termasuk hasil terkait
keselamatan di seluruh perencanaan, desain, pelaksanaan, dan
pengoperasian jalan dan jalan raya kita. Etos 'desain total' ini membawa
kita melampaui kepatuhan terhadap standar keselamatan. Mengintensifkan
fokus kami pada hasil sosial yang lebih luas dari proyek jalan raya dan
jalan raya akan mengarah pada peningkatan keselamatan jalan
People must be at the heart of our thinking on future mobility

Sarah Hayes Planner
sydney@arup.com+61 (0) 2 9320 9320Sydney, local time - 12:40 AM

Type ‘Future of Transport’ into Google, and you’ll be inundated with

automated vehicle technology in the air and terrestrially. The only people
you will see are in artists’ impressions of fantasy-style moving lounge
rooms as we give up driving to the robot.

Something may be amiss in our thinking. Many of our best minds are
working on how we’re going to replace a driver, but we need to not lose
sight of the reason why we are doing this.

Focusing just on the means of movement in the future is putting the cart
before the horse. That’s because people have certain needs that have to be
met in order to thrive. Maslow’s hierarchy is a useful structure for thinking
about those needs: people need to be able to access goods and services.
They need to feel safe. They need to connect to others – both friends and
strangers – and they need to feel connected to their environment. In
essence, transport is a derived need – we need it because it’s the thing that
enables us to meet all our other needs.

Ketik 'Masa Depan Transportasi' ke Google, dan Anda akan dibanjiri

dengan teknologi kendaraan otomatis di udara dan di darat. Satu-satunya
orang yang akan Anda lihat adalah kesan seniman tentang ruang lounge
bergerak bergaya fantasi saat kami berhenti mengemudi ke robot.

Mungkin ada yang salah dalam pemikiran kita. Banyak dari pikiran terbaik
kami sedang mengerjakan bagaimana kami akan mengganti pengemudi,
tetapi kami tidak perlu melupakan alasan mengapa kami melakukan ini.

Berfokus hanya pada alat gerak di masa depan adalah menempatkan kereta
di depan kuda. Itu karena orang memiliki kebutuhan tertentu yang harus
dipenuhi untuk berkembang. Hirarki Maslow adalah struktur yang berguna
untuk memikirkan kebutuhan tersebut: orang harus dapat mengakses
barang dan jasa. Mereka perlu merasa aman. Mereka perlu terhubung
dengan orang lain – baik teman maupun orang asing – dan mereka perlu
merasa terhubung dengan lingkungan mereka. Pada dasarnya, transportasi
adalah kebutuhan turunan – kita membutuhkannya karena itu adalah hal
yang memungkinkan kita untuk memenuhi semua kebutuhan kita yang lain
We must always ask why – before how –
because you can’t answer detailed project
questions without understanding the bigger
picture.

When it comes to the future of mobility, transport planners must first

understand the people we’re serving and what they need before we can
start answering how we best serve them. We need to know what access
they need to the rest of the community, and which goods and services from
the community need to be able to reach them. 

As consultants, our advice is often sought once a project or a solution has

been defined. To be really effective, we need to make sure we ask the right
questions about people’s needs so that the big picture doesn’t go unasked
and unanswered. I see a strong case for stepping back at the start of any
project and working with the client and stakeholders to establish a
‘songbook’ from which to work – building up, together, from the base. We
must always ask why – before how – because you can’t answer detailed
project questions without understanding the bigger picture.
 

I’m currently working on the City of Sydney Transport Futures project,

which has been an incredibly collaborative process. The first phase is
really exploring and engaging with the client to create a vision for the city
and then understanding the challenges that people are likely to face in
using the city. This involves profiling, analysing datasets to understand the
size of various user groups and lots of spending time in the city to observe
how its different parts operate at the moment.

We’ve also held several workshops with City of Sydney people beyond the
project team to help the city crystallise its thinking and build a shared
understanding of what is needed. We’ve also been reaching out to other
stakeholders. 
Now the City of Sydney has a strong picture of what it is trying to achieve
and what successful transport looks like for the city. It is able to start
trying to work with the State Government on how to make it a reality, with
people very much at the heart of the future vision. It’s a model I hope to
see become more and more common as we plan for the future of access
and mobility.

The human element in safer future roads

Today’s road design standards are based on assumptions about the type of

vehicles using the road and the physical abilities of drivers, cyclists and
pedestrians. Our challenge is preparing for a future when fully automated
cars are becoming the norm, but they must interact with analogue humans
walking and cycling.

We need to understand how important the human element is in our current

design standards and in the millions of small, day-to-day negotiations
between different types of road users.

The human element is fundamental to the National Road Safety

Strategy’s Safe System approach, which is built on the premise that
people make mistakes, and that there is a limit to the human body’s
tolerance to crash forces.

The achievement of a Safe System is a shared responsibility and it requires

four interconnected cornerstones of safe travel to be working effectively
together: safer people, safer vehicles, safer roads and safer speeds.
The eyes have it – non-verbal communication critical between road users
Most of our streets rely on private vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians
approximating the road rules in a relatively predictable way and making
safe decisions when interacting. A key element of successful and safe
interaction is the ability for road users to make eye contact. 
 
Ben Hamilton-Baillie, a UK street design specialist, noted that the use of
social and physical context as a means to adapt traffic behaviour is
critically dependent on speed and eye contact. In many streets and low
speed environments, particularly shared zones, road user behaviour is
controlled by personal interactions between street users, including non-
verbal negotiation and social cues.
 
Recent research from France confirmed that if pedestrians at uncontrolled
pedestrian crossings make direct eye contact with oncoming drivers, the
drivers are more likely to stop.
 
Rising automation on the road network presents challenges, alongside
opportunities, for the safe interaction between vehicles and pedestrians.

What we need to think about, and what we

need to do
With the advent of fully automated vehicles, we may lose the advantage of
eye contact between drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. While sensor design
enables a look to be detected, the ability to interpret the look is a new
facial recognition technology that requires field testing to be reliable.

To lessen the impact, road and street designs should clearly reflect

‘movement and place’ functionality and, in highly pedestrianised areas,
speed limits should drop. Pedestrians and cyclists mustn’t be isolated to
the pavement while vehicles have free flow: the give-and-take of today
must continue and be improved upon.

Fully automated vehicles interpret the road environment differently and

may be more ‘confident’ to travel at posted speed most of the time: a
human driver may sense a lower speed is safer. For example, a driver
seeing a balloon on a string pop out of a parked car may determine
instantly that a child could be about to enter the roadway. Would an
automated vehicle have the same interpretive skills? What of seeing an
adult being distracted as a child exits?

To counter this, we need to consider easily understandable conditional

speed limits which can be followed by automated vehicles in areas where
complex human interactions are likely.
Traffic signals will need to be reviewed in light of danger that pedestrians may disregard them,
safe in in the knowledge that AVs will yield.

There is also a danger that pedestrians will disregard crossing signals, safe
in the knowledge that fully automated vehicles will yield.

To counter this, pedestrians must be well catered-for. Signal timings need

to be reviewed to reduce pedestrian waiting times and we must provide
additional formalised crossing sites in areas of high pedestrian
activity. And sensors need to evolve to understand what is a feint and what
is actual movement: this will require significant AI development.

It is possible to maintain, and even increase, safety on our roads once fully
automated vehicles arrive, as long as the human element is taken into
consideration in the design of the streets and roads that will accommodate
them. We need to understand that a precautionary approach will be
required for a considerable time as people adapt to the machines which are
adapting to the people