Citation

Cvitković I, Vilke S, Krpan L, Brlek P. Transp. Res. Proc. 2022; 60: 228-234.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publications)

DOI

10.1016/j.trpro.2021.12.030

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

From its beginnings, traffic in cities has taken place without traffic signs, and the traffic signs to which we are accustomed today has actually developed only in recent decades. For most of the 20 century, it was believed that increasing traffic safety was achieved by separating vehicles from other road users. Probably no city in the world, no street, is inconceivable without traffic signs which warning traffic participants of the danger that threatens them on a particular road or part of that road, making them aware of the restrictions, prohibitions and obligations that road users must adhere to and provide the necessary information for a safe and uninterrupted flow of traffic. In a new principle of street and traffic planning called shared space which is based on removing regulatory features of traffic control such as: traffic lights, traffic signs, horizontal markings on the pavement and even curbs, replacement of classic intersections with roundabouts, while different paving of traffic areas stand out better than traffic signals. In order to approach the application of the principle of shared space, streets must be purposefully planned and equipped for slower traffic. This requires the application of different project solutions, before which various researches are done. This paper will present an analysis of the current situation and traffic therapy of a part of the street in the city of Varazdin in the Republic of Croatia, where over five thousand students come every day. Noise levels were measured in the coverage area because exposure to increased noise levels in persons occurs fatigue, decreased concentration and ability to work, impaired communication. An anonymous survey was also conducted in order to obtain the opinion of the residents of the City on the current situation on the topics of walking and cycling, traffic safety and urban mobility. As traffic counting or recording is the basis for measures to improve existing and future traffic, dynamic traffic counting was performed by the method of simple measurement of vehicle registration plates. With all the negative impacts that today's traffic has, there is a growing initiative for change in terms of improvement. There is a global need to implement new ideas and systems that would change the negative impact of traffic in the future and one of them will be presented.

Language: en

Keywords

shared space; traffic planning; traffic safety; traffic therapy; urban areas