The Gothenburg traffic restraint scheme

Abstract

Officials at various levels around the world are getting increasingly worried about the growth in automobile ownership and all the associated environmental problems that this implies. Voices are often heard advocating the exclusion of automobiles from the central areas of cities, much easier to say than to realise, unless the area is entirely reconstructed under a comprehensive redevelopment scheme, as, for instance, in the city of Västeras, Sweden. Another possible solution is to introduce some type of traffic restraint scheme involving compulsory rearrangement of the vehicular flow through the central area.

The report deals firstly with an experiment carried out during the highly intensive, pre-Christmas shopping days in December 1969, when parts of the central business area of the city of Gothenburg, Sweden (population around 450,000) were closed to all unauthorised vehicles. The experience gained with this scheme was valuable when the next stage was being planned, i.e., a permanent traffic restraint scheme which was put into effect on August 18, 1970. Most of the report deals with the objectives, planning, realisation, and experience of the traffic restraint scheme, which involved dividing the central business area into five separate zones. During the first six months, several surveys were conducted to establish the impact of the scheme on vehicular flow, parking, pedestrian flow, public transport, accidents, air pollution, noise, and retail businesses.

The scheme put into operation in Gothenburg has been a great success, having accomplished most of its objectives, and will be expanded to cover a still larger area in subsequent years.