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Opinion

All Is Calm On the Western Roads

By DAVID ZOPPETTI


隠やかな気持ちで欧州ドライブ

穏やかな気持ちでドライブ 祖国スイスを含めた欧州各国を旅行し、 ドライブを楽しんでいた筆者は 欧州と日本の道路事情を比べて 日本がいかに車優先であるかを実感した。

One of the great advantages of freelancing is that you don't need to spend lots of time arguing with your boss to get your summer holidays. I am writing these lines during a long month of leisurely driving through Switzerland, France and Italy with my family.

Roads in Japan always appear to me as terrifying stretches of concrete where cars and trucks are almighty, and pedestrians are left to fight for survival. In Europe, roads are being transformed into elaborately designed areas of cohabitation for vehicles and pedestrians.

Improving road infrastructure as a way to reduce traffic accidents started 20 years ago, with the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany leading the way.

Now, when approaching a school district, one invariably runs into speed humps, often combined with a change of road surface (such as cobblestones). At the entrance of villages, a digital speed indicator lets you know how fast you are driving. Within localities, trees and flowerbeds are planted alternately on both sides of the road thus creating "chicanes" and are a welcome change from the gloomy grey of asphalt.

Central islands narrow the width of the carriageway and provide refuge for pedestrians. Roundabouts reduce the speed of cars going through intersections and the risk of traffic light-related accidents. Cities are enforcing 30 kilometer per hour zones, and bicycle lanes are common almost everywhere.

The philosophy behind this is known as "traffic calming." These measures don't only physically reduce vehicle speeds and provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists, but also provide a visual signal that the motorist is only a "guest" and that pedestrians have priority. Of course, compared to traditional stop signs and traffic lights, these devices require a lot more alertness and courtesy on the part of the driver.

But they are effective. Studies have shown that traffic calming reduces accidents by up to 40 percent and has a significant impact on reducing the severity of accidents. Air pollution and noise levels can also be greatly reduced through these measures.

In Japan, outrageously ex pensive toll roads crisscross the country, but road restructuring projects are practically nonexistent. The reasons evoked are usually lack of space, lack of budget or that such restructuring is "car-unfriendly"!

When I hear of a lorry ramming into a group of schoolchildren (a type of accident somehow quite common in Japan), or of youngsters killing themselves driving too fast, I always feel indescribable sadness.

When I realize that the only measures taken after such tragedies is to put up a panel indicating that "In this spot a fatal accident occurred," my sadness turns into anger, frustration and rage.

Japan invests huge sums of money every year in usually unnecessary, often environmentally unfriendly and always highly controversial "kokyo-jigyo" public works, such as dams or "rindo" forest highways. If the government really wishes to spend so much on domestic development projects, I suggest it invest more in traffic calming measures. This would not only create jobs and give the economy a boost, but also help save precious lives.


Shukan ST: July 16, 1999

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