Reading Borough Council has issued a press release in response to news that Ashford in Kent has started operating what they claim is the first major 'shared space' project in the UK. Drivers no longer have the right of way on the Ashford ring road. Instead cars, bikes and pedestrians have equal priority. Kerbs, crossings and four sets of traffic lights have been removed from a mile-long section of the road bordering the town centre. Pedestrians and cyclists must use eye contact to work out when to cross the street or give way to oncoming traffic.

An RBC spokesman told us: "We've been operating such a 'shared space' project for years in Broad Street! Cyclists and pedestrians have been 'allowed' to co-exist without fear of being stopped by the police... but we hadn't thought of extending it to cars as well. What a great idea!"