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relationship between cars and human beings "The real gain in urban <br /> quality does not come from clawing back areas of the city from cars, as <br /> important as that is," said Hamilton-Baillie, who gave a talk at the <br /> Portland Department of Transportation last fall. "But the next step is <br /> how you apply a broader approach to those areas where you need cars <br /> and trucks, bicycles and shops, and pedestrians and children's play, all <br /> those different functions to take place in precious urban space." <br /> Even if we're not ready to send our children merrily into the street, <br /> many of us, intuitively, have already embraced the concepts behind <br /> second-generation traffic calming. Like most other parents, I've drilled <br /> into my kids the fact that traffic lights and signs work for cars, but don't <br /> necessarily serve pedestrians who want to make it across the street in <br /> one piece. "Look left, look right, look left again," I preach ad nauseum <br /> -- even when the walk signal is green. And who can resist the <br /> symbolism associated with recapturing the street for the (teeming) <br /> masses? It's not quite the fall of the Berlin Wall, but the shared-space <br /> approach overturns the landmarks of sedentary isolation -- everything <br /> from gated communities to skyrocketing childhood obesity rates -- to <br /> celebrate the complexity and contradictions of city life. <br /> The absence of traffic controls means that people are out for <br /> themselves; the trick is, they have to look out for everyone else as well. <br /> Second-generation traffic design is a curious mix of selfishness and <br /> altruism, of order amid chaos. And, after a fashion, it just might work. <br /> ------------ <br /> About the writer <br /> Linda Baker is a freelance writer in <br /> Portland, Oregon. <br /> Sound Off <br /> Send us a Letter to the Editor <br /> Salon.com >> Technology <br /> Salon Search About Salon Table Talk Advertise in Salon Investor Relations <br /> News & Politics I Opinion I Tech & Business I Arts & Entertainment <br /> Indie film I Books I Life I Comics I Audio I Dialogue <br /> Letters I Columnists I Salon Gear <br /> Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is <br /> • strictly prohibited <br /> Copyright 2004 Salon.com <br /> Salon, 22 4th Street, 11th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103 <br /> Telephone 415 645-9200 I Fax 415 645-9204 <br /> E-mail I Salon.com Privacy Policy I Terms of Service <br />