Councils to cut crashes with ‘naked streets’

Motorists and pedestrians will be forced to jostle for space under plans being drawn up by councils to strip roads of traffic lights, kerbs and white lines.

The most ambitious proposal is for Mayfair in central London, but schemes are also being considered for Princes Street in Edinburgh; a suburb of Birmingham; and Ilfracombe, the seaside resort in Devon.

The Department for Transport has launched a study into the “naked streets” concept with the aim of issuing guidance to town planners across Britain later this year.



The concept works on the principle that motorists are more likely to drive carefully if they use their own judgment, rather than unthinkingly obeying instructions. The question of who has priority is deliberately left open, making drivers more cautious.

Stripping out safety features on roads was first pioneered in Holland and has since been tested with small schemes in London, Brighton and Ashford in Kent.

Removing some road markings and railings in Kensington High Street, west London, led to accidents falling by 44% over two years.