The Intersection With No Traffic Light

In 2003, the city of Drachten in the Netherlands tried something radical. Traffic engineer Hans Monderman convinced officials to remove nearly all traffic signs, signals, and lane markings from a busy intersection where 8,000 cars passed daily. His theory was that drivers, freed from rules, would naturally negotiate with one another. For a while, the experiment seemed to work — accidents actually decreased as drivers slowed down, made eye contact, and cautiously inched forward.…