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January 16, 2008

Chicane - Animated Traffic Calming

by Elizabeth Press

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Do you know what a chicane is?

This 24 second stop-animation Streetfilm can show you almost as fast as I can describe it. A chicane is a sequence of tight curves in a roadway used to slow cars. Sidewalk extensions jog from one side of a street to the other to create a circuitous route. Literally, the word chicane comes from the German word schikane, meaning harassment.

The Project for Public Spaces has more on chicanes and various traffic calming techniques.

In the near future, please look for other educational claymations here on Streetfilms. Also: let us know in the comments field below what other traffic calming techniques you would like to see animated.

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    Dan Kaufman

    Nice!

    January 17, 2008 at 1:50 am Link # 1
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    Bill Ruhsam

    This is a great animation. I'm looking forward to sending people this way when I do the Traffic Calming edition of my podcast.

    Keep it up!

    January 17, 2008 at 9:00 am Link # 2
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    _aa_

    Well done! This was on Make: the other day and would drivers to maintain a certain speed to keep the beat steady!

    http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/driving_down_the_musical.html

    January 18, 2008 at 5:46 pm Link # 3
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    Bryan

    I love PPS but what happens when you get a big truck in there? It gets stuck. They have a lot of wonderful ideas but this I have to say is not one of them.

    January 23, 2008 at 11:28 am Link # 4
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    StreetFilms » Raised Crosswalk

    [...] animation:  Chicanes [...]

    February 12, 2008 at 4:13 pm Link # 5
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    Streetsblog » StreetFilm: Raising the Walk

    [...] the StreetFilms animation division, which brought you the chicane, comes another instant classic, this one illustrating the benefits of the raised crosswalk -- [...]

    February 13, 2008 at 10:10 am Link # 6
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    Christian

    Hi,

    I live in Germany. Here chicanes are common.

    The film above shows a situation chicanes are intended for (one way streets).

    Unfortunately, sometimes they are overused or used in wrong situations (two way streets). Instead of slowing down traffic a bad planned chicane leads to traffic jam on a two-way street, because two lanes are narrowed to one at these chicane spots. If oncoming traffic is steady one lane is blocked totally.

    Another point of criticism is the need to steer frequently on streets with several chicanes. Typically, when you see a chicane on your lane you steer left, you pass by and steer right again. That procedure is for one chicane. Often, to slow down traffic on a long straight street there are several chicanes. That means you have to steer left, right, left, right, etc.

    February 13, 2008 at 3:00 pm Link # 7
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    Streetsblog » StreetFilm: Traffic Calming Done Right in Melbourne

    [...] that they couldn't come! And one guy was the biggest fan saying his favorites are Sasquatch and our clay animations. Due to popular demand, I am giving another showing on Tuesday with a smaller group. Today in [...]

    March 17, 2008 at 11:05 am Link # 8
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    Streetsblog LA » StreetFilm: Traffic Calming Done Right in Melbourne

    [...] they couldn't come! And one guy was the biggest fan saying hisfavorites are Sasquatch and our clay animations. Due to popular demand, Iam giving another showing on Tuesday with a smaller [...]

    March 18, 2008 at 10:02 am Link # 9
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    StreetFilms » Animation: Semi-Diverter

    [...] work: Chicane Raised [...]

    May 1, 2008 at 12:02 am Link # 10
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    Wrkng » Streetfilms: Diverter

    [...] has also done stop motion films on chicanes and raised crosswalks. by Nick on 5/15/2008 tags: streetfilms, traffic [...]

    May 15, 2008 at 10:53 am Link # 11

Comments for this post will be closed on 14 July 2008.