Shared space: Motorists’ perspective

Background

Shared spaces are intended to constitute an attractive urban space for everyone by blending protected and unprotected road users. However, our previous study showed that pedestrians prefer the traditional division between protected and unprotected road users, at the same time as elderly pedestrians focused less on traffic when the division was recreated by large flowerpots.

Objective

This follow-up study aimed to examine the effects of external factors, such as alternative design and pedestrian density, on motorists’ subjective experiences, and the speed and placement of their vehicles within a shared space.

Methods

To investigate this, Q-methodology was used to examine 32 motorists’ subjective experiences, and video recordings were analysed to measure the speed and placement of 150 vehicles on Fisherman’s Square in Västervik, Sweden, both without (75 vehicles) and with (75 vehicles) large flowerpots deployed.

Results

The motorists preferred when the large flowerpots were deployed to recreate the traditional division. The results also showed that both the large flowerpots and high pedestrian density decreased vehicles’ mean maximum speed. The deployment of large flowerpots also decreased the distribution of vehicles over the square.

Conclusion

Recreating some type of division between protected and unprotected road users appears to be preferred. Further studies are required to ascertain whether this solution works for all road user groups, including cyclists and e-scooter riders.