I know some of them are a bit hard to see in pictures, but most are pretty clear up close. I have to say, all of the gruesome and gory signs (remember, this was a class of 13 and 14 year olds, half of whom were boys)didn’t make the cut as emotionally intelligent.

Thank you for your interest in Traffic in Needham!

I think more often than not, measures such as speed bumps, roundabouts, or just simply making smaller, more confined streets are necessary if you want to get people in cars to slow down. We all have a tendency to get stressed and hurry or get upset at people who are impeding our progress, and the automobile allows you to do that without any of the physical limitations that exist for pedestrians and cyclists (who can only go as fast as they can physically propel themselves).

Obviously, it’s still up to the individual to make the choice whether to drive recklessly or not, but our politics, society, and infrastructure tendencies all say “we are all about enabling you as the operator of an automobile,” so we often don’t put much pressure on people to think about other public space users.

All that to say, if you put a sign like that on an open two-lane road where cars have plenty of room in their lanes, without any other traffic calming measures, I’m a bit doubtful it would do much.

I have seen better and worse ideas, so it surely won’t hurt to try it.

Aaron

Something similar has been popping up in New York State for a couple of years, at least around the Albany area – in/before construction zones, construction-orange signs are being used that say “Slow Down, My Mommy/Daddy Works Here” in a kid’s handwriting. They solved the legibility problem by making the letters about twice as high as normal, and they’re fairly readable. (Whether or not they work is another question entirely, and one I don’t know the answer to.)

We need bollards here in Mass.

One of the main reasons why I was attracted to your work. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, mostly while walking down the street…for obvious reasons. I often assume it is the car that removes the person from the situation, rendering them incapable of understanding the affects on others of their speeding, hasty turn around a blind corner, or just aggressively inching forward while “waiting” for a pedestrian to cross the street. I am starting to question that thinking because it assumes all selfishness and aggression stems from the car. Paul Krugman suggests it is rising inequality that is causing everyone to disregard everyone about them. That makes sense to me, or just plain consumerism, which encourages a sense of me me me. Will a sign help to discourage that? I have little faith in signs, but maybe.