Why 'woonerfs' will change how we drive Telegraph Motoring research shows that there is strong support at a professional level too with experts now predicting that the woonerf - in a form stricter than anything yet experienced in the UK - will become commonplace. To see how the concept works, the IAM's chief examiner Peter Rodger and I drove to Almere, an entire new-build village constructed around the woonerf, 20 minutes to the east of Amsterdam. As we turn off the main road and enter Almere we feel mildly uneasy. Clever use of planting, play areas, chicanes, even the position of the houses, means there isn't a straight road in sight. Every 50 yards, the roadway - which, thanks to the absence of kerbs, blends with the pavement - snakes left or right. Who has right of way? It's hard to tell, especially at junctions where there's no clue as to who has priority. Proceeding with extreme caution is the only way and there's little need for speed signs; our pace automatically falls to a crawl, underlining the designers' dream that children should roam the streets in safety. Next we head to Amsterdam where, on the periphery of the city, trams, cars, scooters, buses and many thousands of bicycles jostle chaotically. But as we penetrate the older, central part of the city, calm reigns. Woonerfs have been retro-fitted over several square miles of side roads and, again, it is unclear who has right of way. In the heart of this heavily residential area, attractive planting breaks up the driver's sight-lines. So do graceful, curvy bicycle racks built into the pavements where they create artificial chicanes; even toddlers' play areas are built where once cars held sway. It's way in advance of anything in the UK - so far. "We're still making progress as we drive but it's making me think much harder and go more slowly," says Mr Rodger, a former Met police traffic inspector. I know I'm on a road but because pedestrians and cyclists feel they can wander willy-nilly I feel mildly uncertain. It's certainly making me slow down and keep my concentration up. Would it work closer to home? "Amsterdam is much more reliant on bicycles than, for instance, London," says Rodger. If we imported woonerfs lock, stock and barrel it would mean a major loss of parking, which might be unacceptable. We would have to get more people cycling first and there is the danger that by making motorists automatically liable for accidents, you remove some of the onus on cyclists to behave responsibly. Is that really beneficial? To some, however, Amsterdam proves that retro-fitted woonerfs are not only possible but desirable, because they transform neighbourhoods into garden cities. One leading proponent is Jenny Jones, London's mayoral Green Party candidate and the London Assembly Planning and Housing chairman. I visited Amsterdam and was impressed. We need woonerfs rolled out across the UK," she says. As the cost of fuel rises we are seeing more support, more smaller cities and towns willing to try it, in addition to towns that have already introduced 20mph zones. So far Portsmouth has implemented a near city-wide 20mph zone, more than 30 per cent of Hull has been "calmed," with other pioneers including Ashford, Poundbury, Plymouth, Southend-on-Sea and Exhibition Road in Kensington. Despite growing support, however, it seems unlikely that, unless you visit the Netherlands, you will encounter a full-blown woonerf in the immediate future. Woonerfs work by changing the psychology. Is it a road or is it a path?" says the AA's head of transport policy, Paul Watters. But they are very expensive and local authorities no longer have the budget. There would also need to be a very thorough review of the consequences of introducing motorist culpability before any firm proposal is considered. Rob Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, says, "Woonerfs work because they deliver a consistent message to motorists. Motorists think 'I am a guest here', not 'I'm in charge'. But they are best designed into new developments and with the economic situation local authorities haven't got the money right now. However it means we have a breathing space to think about where we go from here so when the economy picks up we shall be ready. We won't see woonerfs here in the immediate future but we probably shall in the next decade when we start building again. Humps The local authorities' favourite because they're cheap. But, says the AA, they increase pollution and noise because drivers constantly accelerate and slow down. They can also damage cars, causing a torrent of complaints to Honest John each week. Chicanes Normally in the form of pavement 'build-outs', sometimes using 'blocks' of car-parking too. Shared space Pioneered in Kensington High Street and Exhibition Road. Railings stripped out, divisions between road and pavement blurred. The AA says they are a 'very inefficient' use of road space and that they can 'confuse' drivers and walkers. Speed camera-enforced 20mph zones Being studied by local authorities, with many considering them the next major advance in road safety. Pioneered by Southend-on-Sea, enforced with average-speed cameras from February 1.