Does shared space lead to more communication in cyclists?

The present study investigated whether ‘the claim’ of Shared Space does make sense. Shared Space is a way of thinking about public spaces: no particular traffic mode should be better accommodated that others. Hence, traffic is no more regulated by traffic signs and traditional road lay-outs, but only by the courtesy of the traffic participants. The idea is that an environment in a town or village should be designed to be there and stay, not just to pass through. Shared-Space advocates claim that in a Shared-Space environment more communication between traffic participants will occur causing a more natural development of traffic flow.We observed the behaviour of cyclists on three intersections; one regulated with priority signs, one without priority regulation but with a conventional lay-out, and one in a Shared-Space environment. The behaviours were categorized in various classes from which various communication possibilities were concluded. It was found that the cyclists in the Share-Space environment showed more behaviours that may be useful in communicating intentions to others, than in the conventionally designed environments. Gender and age differences did not show behaviour differences. It is speculated to what extent the behaviours could be attributed completely to the Shared-Space environment

De bediening van navigatie-ondersteuning voor blinden en slechtzienden - naar een generieke interface

Zelfstandige navigatie en oriëntatie voor blinden en slechtzienden kan worden ondersteund met hiervoor geëigende systemen. Bestaande systemen zijn echter vaak niet toegerust met een bruikbare interface. In het huidige onderzoek zijn drie interfaces voor een routegeleidingssysteem voor blinden en slechtzienden getest. Hoewel één variant een beter algemeen resultaat bood dan de twee anderen was het resultaat zodanig dat een integratie van de positieve aspecten van de verschillende interfacevarianten aan te bevelen is