Traffic Culture by Thanos Vlastos

It is a fact that urban transportation, as correctly stated by J. Michael Thomson, is not simply a system of services: transportation is an integral element of everyday life; it is a way of life in contemporary society. The network of public transportation, circulation system plays a clear part in forming the physiognomy of the city. However, the physiognomy is irrelevant to cities' historical character, social values and differences. The vehicle technology, the technology of traffic management (signalization etc.) follow an international outlook which erases the specificity of each city. In this context the definition of D. Lee on culture cannot be used as a basis for a detailed definition of traffic culture. The technology of the private vehicle or the network of public transportation contributed to no more than the levelling of cities aesthetics and the disappearance of the historical aspects.

In contrast to the above I believe the term "traffic culture" is the most appropriate to describe a new culture created in the contemporary city due to the traffic and the respective pollution problems. This culture is very interesting and socially significant and could be briefly described as follows:

"Traffic Culture" is the collection and social cohesion which needs to be exhibited by the inhabitants of large cities starting in the immediate future, so as to be capable to deal with more organization and social obedience with the problems of saturation expected in tomorrow's city due to space unavailability.

Saturation and Pollution will either lead to a more authoritarian society or to freely constituted and enriched social forms enhancing the deficient space: will tomorrow's citizen show a widened sensitivity and more responsible behaviour by limiting travel or by choosing transit modes, or will a new barbarism emerge whence, through methods such as road pricing, while the most socially valuable space, City Centre, will only be accessible to those who can afford it?

What will be the consequences of population growth in Cities, of car ownership rise, or urban surface expansion? Will individuals be annihilated within big city societies? Will citizens maintain control and contact with constantly rising scales of transport reference? Will he be an emancipated user or will he be subjugated to new technologies? Is there a probability that the latter, in trying to emancipate him from saturation, will obliterate freedom of choice?

Saturation conditions give rise to adversities and conflict. Social friction and competition are a natural consequence of the lack of space. In earlier times, the right of transportation, that is transport as a social good of even distribution, was something obvious. Nevertheless, it has mistakenly been associated with the right of transport, that is, "who gets there first, who can afford it, who is powerful". Individualistic behaviour is a negative aspect of "traffic culture". On its positive side, as it has been previously defined, it is a prerequisite for a civilisation's survival in the 21st century metropolitan areas. A lot of social maturity and responsibility will be required in order to give priority to public transport, to pedestrian and cyclist movement. Road space has a potential beyond traffic channelling; it can perform the role of an arena for social life and foundation space for the development of new codes of social behaviour.

Traffic saturation, for the first time in history of humanity, obliges citizens to live more socially and share with others while looking for new modes of hierarchy and communication, given the most valuable extinguishable goods in Cities, i.e. space. There lies "traffic culture's" mission.

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Traffic Culture by Thanos Vlastos