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CITIES AND THEIR METHODS OF REDUCING DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC

David Fibich, Kristýna Plocová, Jana Pospíšilová

Abstract

The article deals with the use of traffic calming elements to improve the environment, slow down traffic and increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians in urban centers in the Czech Republic. Calming elements also have a significant influence on the architecture of the street space. Traffic calming factors can be divided into psychological factors (e.g. road signs) and physical factors (e.g. road narrowing) or a combination of them based on their effect on drivers. These can be used at intersections and road sections where traffic needs to be calmed down. These places definitely include city centers. The architecture of the site in question, especially in the historic center, plays an important role in the use of traffic-calming elements, where the priority is to preserve the aesthetic function. The most frequently used psychological elements are traffic signs that limit speed or warn of dangerous areas. The task of the psychological component is to warn the driver of increased danger in a certain place, thanks to which the driver will pay attention and slow down. The role of the physical element is to slow down the driver. Examples are narrow roads and speed bumps. The use of these elements effectively affects the psyche of the driver. A high-quality variant of traffic calming is a combination of both types. The most drastic element of traffic calming is also the partial or complete elimination of motor vehicle traffic with the exclusion of traffic services, or the creation of pedestrian or residential zones in the problem area.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2023/6.1/s27.45

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