Abstract
Small Case, Big Principle – Achieving Sustainable Transport is not a Myth Abstract With the continuous advancement of urbanisation in the city of Fuzhou in China, intersection roundabouts can no longer meet the need of complex multi-modal traffic. Therefore, how to balance the need of both motorised and non-motorised traffic, and putting forward an optimal intersection traffic arrangement has become the focus of urban road intersection design. The study relates to a complex four-way intersection design at the intersection of Guobin & Qishang Avenues in the city of Fuzhou, China. After exploring three detailed design options for the subject intersection, the recommended option is deleting the give-way which intersects with the pedestrian/cycle lane, that prioritises non-motorised traffic modes and the pedestrian connection to the underground subway station. The deletion of the give-way seems that it could reduce the capacity of the motorised traffic at the first glance, however, the actual effect of the deletion shows an unexpected result: it in fact improves the efficiency of the motorised traffic due to the fact that the improved non-motorised traffic causes less interference to the motorised traffic, which leads to the improvement of the whole system and achieve a win-win situation. This typical small case, reflects a big principle, that is: prioritising non-motorised traffic will in turn improve motorised traffic and therefore, the transport system as a whole.
