Principles for traffic calming

• Roads are not just for cars — The function of roads is not solely to act as a corridor for traffic. They are also for social interaction, walking, cycling, and playing. Different roads will have these ingredients in differing proportions - but no one function must dominate to the exclusion of all others.
• Residents have rights — Residents have a right to the best quality of life a city can provide. This includes the least noise possible, the least pollution possible, the safest environment possible, and an environment which fosters a rich community life in which each individual is free to reach their fullest potential.
  
  All residents regardless of age, financial status, or social standing, have rights to an equal share of the mobility that a city can responsibly provide for its residents. No person or group has the right to increase their mobility at the expense of another person's mobility. This means recognizing that an over-emphasis on car transport discriminates against a large section of society.
• Maximize mobility while decreasing costs — Trips are usually only a means to achieving a desirable end. Therefore a trip is a "cost" we must pay to enjoy a "benefit" at journey's end. That "cost" involves time, money, energy, and social and environmental ill effects. It therefore makes sense to minimize the "costs" a city and its residents must pay to enjoy access to a wide range of destinations.
  
  This principle involves managing the already existing road and public transport resources of a city with maximum efficiency. It means maximizing the efficiency of a grossly inefficient road and public transport network before new infrastructure is built.

— Traffic Calming, CART

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