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“A big myth around safety is that you make things safer by taking risk out and I argue that’s not the case at all. Some of the safest environments have the highest level of risk,” he said. “What a lot of engineering does is actually heighten the level of risk.”

Deterrents such as fencing in the front of houses encourage motorists to go faster, Engwicht argued as he suggested a $100 incentive for residents who take them down and open themselves to the street. Once that’s done, it’s important to use the street as a way to tell motorists they are guests and need to be alert when driving through.

“It’s about getting people to understand if they want to calm the streets then they are the ones that have to deliver it,” he said. “Neighbourhoods with a 30 km/h speed limit are only going to work if we get kids back in the streets playing cricket or street hockey.”

Engwicht applauded the city’s Vision Zero commitment to zero traffic fatalities or serious injuries, but said city council needs to take a back seat and let communities dictate their own initiatives if a proposed speed limit reduction is going to make a serious impact.

“I think they may do harm if you do not have the citizens of the city taking responsibility for the delivery of that reduced speed,” he said of the city’s proposed speed limit overhaul to face council later this month. “Simply putting up a new sign won’t work, people drive at the speed that the environment tells them it’s safe to drive.”

Throughout the weekend, Engwicht held workshops to motivate neighbourhoods to reclaim their streets, brought to the city by community group Paths for People, which is currently in the process of planning its second annual Open Streets event to close main streets to vehicle access and open the roads up for pedestrians.

Engwicht will be meeting with the city’s traffic safety team on Monday to voice his concerns.

Photo by Supplied

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