Traffic integration and environmental traffic management in Denmark

Abstract

This paper assesses Danish experience in attempting to integrate traffic with its surroundings in existing areas. Rest and play areas, quiet roads with a 30 km/h speed limit, and major road schemes on urban shopping streets and through villages are all discussed; so too are policies seeking to create safe routes to school, the problems arising from the introduction of speed reduction measures on bus routes, and the merits of area-wide as opposed to incremental approaches. Evaluations indicate that speed reductions to a maximum of 30 km/h are achievable on local roads, and that the quiet street approach represents a cost-effective and popular means of achieving environmental improvements and safer, more livable streets for residents. It is recommended as an appropriate model for Britain to follow. Incremental implementation risks being sub-optimal in design terms but has distinct advantages in minimizing conflicts and enabling rapid implementation. Evaluations of shopping street and village schemes are incomplete but speed reductions and environmental gains have undoubtedly been achieved. (Author/TRRL)