Clear the clutter and get back to basics. That was the message from a leading international expert on road design, when he spoke about improving road safety at a recent conference in Dublin.

    Speaking at the annual Automotive Forum, organised by the Irish Motoring Writers Association, Ben Hamilton-Bailie called for excessive traffic lights and road signs to be removed from roads in order to make them safer.
    He said, getting rid of some of the "senseless" signs on roads, would result in drivers acting more responsibly and going at speeds appropriate to the area in which they were driving. He also argued, that overloading motorists with traffic lights and signs could result in more crashes. Hamilton-Bailie said, “Presume the driver is an idiot and he will act like an idiot”, adding, “Take away speed signs and you'll see how uncomfortable drivers are exceeding the speed that establishes itself as the norm."
    The speaker pointed to the success that some councils in the UK had in removing centre-line markings from roads, resulting in reductions in speed. He went on to say that if signs and traffic lights are taken away, drivers started to engage with their surroundings more naturally and "participate in the social protocols of the city".