Drachten: Traffic-Light-Free Town in Southeast Friesland
Drachten has about 44,500 inhabitants and is the largest town in the gemeente Smallingerland in Friesland. The town gained international attention for the Shared Space traffic concept implemented by engineer Hans Monderman, who removed most traffic lights and signs from the centre, relying instead on eye contact and social interaction between road users. The approach has since been studied and copied in several countries.
Drachten grew rapidly after 1950 when Philips opened a factory here, part of a government policy to bring industry to the northern provinces. Although the Philips plant eventually closed, other employers moved in. The town is the commercial centre for a wide rural area of Friesland.
Leeuwarden, the Frisian capital, is about 25 kilometres northwest. Heerenveen lies roughly 15 kilometres south. The surrounding landscape is flat grassland used for dairy farming, with the Drachtstervaart canal running through the centre.
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Drachten has about 44,500 inhabitants and is the largest town in the gemeente Smallingerland in Friesland. The town gained international attention for the Shared Space traffic concept implemented by engineer Hans Monderman, who removed most traffic lights and signs from the centre, relying instead on eye contact and social interaction between road users. The approach has since been studied and copied in several countries.
Drachten grew rapidly after 1950 when Philips opened a factory here, part of a government policy to bring industry to the northern provinces. Although the Philips plant eventually closed, other employers moved in. The town is the commercial centre for a wide rural area of Friesland.
Leeuwarden, the Frisian capital, is about 25 kilometres northwest. Heerenveen lies roughly 15 kilometres south. The surrounding landscape is flat grassland used for dairy farming, with the Drachtstervaart canal running through the centre.
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