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2008-08-29

The Traffic Guru

by Tom Vanderbilt

Our behavior is heavily influenced by the ­decisions of Traffic Engineers every day. If you were asked to name a famous Traffic Engineer, though, chances are slight you would credit the onetime New York City traffic czar, Henry Barnes, with inventing the “Barnes Dance” - wherein an entire intersection is given over to a ­four-­way pedestrian ­crossing.

One traffic engineer, however, did achieve a measure of global celebrity with his ideas. The idea that made Hans Monderman most famous is that traditional traffic safety ­infra­structure - signs, lights, curbs, lines, and so ­on - ­is not only often unnecessary, but can endanger those it is meant to protect.



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