I didn’t get a chance to read the Eric S. letter, but from what you described, I think Eric S. is probably talking about the fairly recent move of some European cities to remove all street markings and signage in an effort to ostensibly make streets safer by making folks more aware of where they are going and what they are doing.

Here is a Spiegel article on the topic. It is supposedly to “break the barrier” between car and pedestrian/bicycle and make people use things like eye contact and head nodding and and signals to get their point across when using the roads.

Do I buy it? Not sure, I guess I’d want to see it in action first, but as someone who has tried to cross a busy street in Saigon where it’s a fricken free-for-all of bicycles, cars, pedestrians, and motorbikes (3 or 4 to a bike, I did this ONCE with the motorbike driver, my cousin, my aunt and I all hanging on for dear life) I have my doubts.

Will you not dignify the inane letters by Ani D. and her acolyte Eric S. decrying pedestrian and bike safety signage and infrastructure?

I thought Eric’s claim about the movement for mass removal of such infrastructure in Europe, in favor of reverting to “proceed at your own risk”, warrants some kind of informed response. I hope somebody will offer one in the paper.

I disagree with these idiots based on my own experience, but I’m curious what Eric is referring to and figure you could furnish an answer before I could Google myself one.