I saw and rode on such roads in the Netherlands and in my very brief exposure it worked fine. In all cases, it was in low-traffic situations.
Originally Posted by
livedarklions
....I'd be a bit worried that this is really going to be seized upon to convert one-way urban roads into two way roads, which might actually encourage an increase in motor vehicle traffic.
This is important. One size does not fit all. I'd argue that traffic carnage is a lot like cancer. Each cancer has a very different treatment that, more than anything else, is the result of trial and error. My cancer was relatively rare, but I was fortunate that it had an effective treatment because the cancer community had learned from trial and error.
I don't get the sense that the US traffic engineering community has that same mindset, as it has a specs and standards tradition. Most times, the design is heavily standards-based, and I consistently get the reply that they have no choice due to liability. Using best practices for a good outcome is not the objective.
I can see this being a viable option in some situations.
Originally Posted by
Troul
...I get it, most contracts & budgets were approved years ago that are now breaking ground, but it's not uncommon to amend an existing contract & provide a BES to POM the new requirement. Should the existing contract need more than an amendment & lacks an additional terms section to include new clauses, T for C & draft up a new (better) contract.
Yes in theory but my experience is that it is very dependent on the bureaucracy involved. I tried to influence a project and found out that due to the funding sources, for all practical purposes the design had been frozen 10 years earlier. Even though it was clearly a bad idea, and standards had changed, implementation went ahead.