The CBC ran an interesting story awhile back about a Dutch traffic engineer‘s provocative strategy for road safety that may be a radical solution for protecting pedestrians on Toronto’s accident-prone streets. The main idea: take away all the road signs. The strategy, which has been pushed forward by some cities in The Netherlands, has seen significant drops in accidents, mishaps and pedestrian injuries.

Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman argues that crossings, signs and red lights are “all wrong” and that the “naked streets” are far safer for pedestrians as it forces drivers to be more aware of their surroundings when there are no other indicators.

“We removed anything referring to the traffic, made it just a square and please find your own way. This is the middle of the city. This is social space, and in social space we don’t want to interfere as government,” he said.

The “no-rules” areas can already be found in The Netherlands and even in bustling London. Being in a clear open area with no signs scares drivers into slowing down, experts say.

“We have to find a way to convince our politicians that avoidance of risk is not the right strategy. We have to try to manage risk with a certain amount of it in our designs.”

The areas that have implemented the naked streets strategy have seen a 60% drop in accidents involving pedestrians. This strikingly libertarian idea is sure to raise a few eyebrows and will certainly alter the traffic enforcement strategies of local officials. Be sure to come to Legal Action’s blog for more developments on the “naked streets”.