I am a real fan for 'shared space' and have every confidence it will go a long way to reclaiming the city for people. It relies on the ability of vehicular and pedestrian traffic to co-exist. As I have said, we have been doing this by default - jaywalking - and gotten pretty good at it.
But a parallel official enthusiasm for cycling means there is another party to the sharing - people on bikes. I am not so confident on the compatibility. They have little or no audible or sensory presence to a pedestrian, and the new ones travel fast! Cyclists tend to assume the right to ignore traffic signals and rules - especially at intersections and crowded streets. I suspect they are an accident waiting to happen.
We need to see and establish cycleways a a part of the 'integrated transport system' talked about. Sydney and Melbourne are setting examples on this - recognising the incompatibility of cycles and walkers.
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