Alouette Valley Association

Ted Dewan, Oxford, England

Ted Dewan, Oxford, England
“Before I understood the role of car emissions in the ensuing death of the planet, I loved them wholeheartedly. I feel guilty enjoying the very few miles I put on my 1961 Plymouth Valiant every year (above). For the most part, this car sits in front of the house, made safe from anyone else’s use and doing its bit to slow down traffic by being weird-looking.

Back when cars looked like this, most residential roads enjoyed many purposes…hanging out, playing, cycling, all mixing with some motor traffic.

But with so many more cars on the roads, nearly all urban roads have changed into motor traffic corridors which encourages still more car use.

In an effort to make things ‘safe’ for pedestrians and motorists, Britain’s road engineering theories have led to a segregation of cars and pedestrians on residential streets. As things became unacceptably dangerous, kids and old folks steadily retreated behind closed doors, further encouraging motorists to dominate residential streets.

However, this segregation creates the illusion that residential roads are safe and predictable places to drive through at 30 mph or more. Sometimes people and animals unsurprisingly get “in the way” of motor traffic and get killed “by accident”.

Roadwitch seeks to remind motorists that they share the road space with those who would like to use them as a social and recreational space. Imagination and good design can create shared spaces that are more like rooms and less like corridors.

To this end, along with creating and curating examples of traffic calming public art pieces, Roadwitch looks forward to working hand-in-hand with Oxfordshire County Council to redesign Beech Croft Road using new shared-space theory to create a road space that all users can enjoy safely.”