By Kaya Burgess, The Times (UK)
…
Mary, a news reporter, would be first to ask why it is not mandatory for lorries driving on city streets to be fitted with sensors and mirrors to pick up cyclists in their blind spots. Or why training for cyclists and drivers on how to share the road responsibly is so poor. Or why some junctions are so dangerous that jumping a red light can actually be a safer option than lining up alongside HGVs [Heavy Goods Vehicle] at the lights like a racetrack starting grid. Or why London trails so far behind cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen in terms of the infrastructure and legislation to protect vulnerable cyclists and to help the drivers who are trying to avoid them.
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https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3306502.ece
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[B’ Spokes: I would not recommend running red lights but the problem is what I would recommend is top-secret or might as well be since so few know about it. You just can’t squeeze cyclists into car only designs and not expect some bad consequences. You cannot treat safety education as something for only a privileged few, everyone needs to know what to expect from fellow road users. We have a triple whammy, poor facilities, poor education and poor laws to protect us.]
SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION ENHANCEMENTS THAT BENEFIT PEDESTRIANS
Highlight from American Walks:
No Right-Turn on Red
When attempting to turn right on red,
vehicles must look left to see if the road
is clear; drivers often forget to look
right before turning and may not see
pedestrians to their right. Restricting
right-turns on red can reduce confl icts
between vehicles and pedestrians.
Blank out turn restriction signs are more
effective than conventional “No Right
Turn on Red” signs. “No Right Turn on
Red” signs that specify time-of-day
restrictions or “When Pedestrians are
Present” are confusing to motorists and
are often disregarded.
Pedestrian Recall
Pedestrian recall gives pedestrians a
“Walk” signal at every cycle. No pushbutton or detection is necessary since
a “Walk” signal will always be given.
Pedestrian recalls are useful in areas
with high levels of pedestrian activity.
They demonstrate that an intersection
is meant to serve both vehicles and
pedestrians. In general, pedestrian recall
should be used if pedestrians actuate
a “Walk” signal 75 percent of the time
during three or more hours per day
https://americawalks.org/wp-content/upload/America-Walks_Signalized_Intersections_Report_2012.pdf
Fix the roads by killing alternate transportation
Activists Fight Green Projects, Seeing U.N. Plot
By LESLIE KAUFMAN and KATE ZERNIKE, New York Times
…
They are showing up at planning meetings to denounce bike lanes on public streets and smart meters on home appliances — efforts they equate to a big-government blueprint against individual rights.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/us/activists-fight-green-projects-seeing-un-plot.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all%3Fsrc%3Dtp&smid=fb-share
Traffic Evaporation
[B’ Spokes: This needs to be part of BDOT’s vocabulary.]
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from OneStreet.org
Traffic evaporation is a phenomenon that has resulted from strategic removal of road space previously dedicated to motor vehicles. This is not the expected result. Imagine improving traffic flow by closing roads or lanes to cars! By recognizing this phenomenon and understanding the necessary factors to reach traffic evaporatation, some progressive cities around the world are enjoying a reduction in traffic as they transform these sequestered public spaces back into places for people to play, shop, relax and connect.
The European Commission is one of the first agencies to formally recognize and demonstrate this phenomenon in their 2004 report: Reclaiming city streets for people — Chaos or quality of life?
One of the most profound examples of reclaiming streets for people is taking place all across New York City. Make sure to click through this slide show of changes along Broadway and take a look at this video that highlights their experience with traffic evaporation:
…
https://www.onestreet.org/resources-for-increasing-bicycling/115-traffic-evaporation
New Wheels for Joe [video]
New Wheels for Joe from Dan Sturges on Vimeo.
B’ Spokes: I think there are two main points here, one is to maximize utility for every mode of transportation, and two, create a local space for people (not cars) to be in.
Boulder study sheds light on bicycle, pedestrian accidents
By Heath Urie Camera Staff Writer
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By far, the most common danger to cyclists in Boulder is drivers making turns within intersections. Turning vehicles were the cause of 40 percent of all bike-vehicle crashes during the study period. In about 10 percent of the cases, a driver was making a right turn on a red light.
"That is a big deal," Estes said. "There’s definitely times when people are looking to the left and start pulling out and I have the right-of-way."
…
The Safe Streets report shows that drivers were far more likely to be found at fault in accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists.
Among accidents involving bikes, the driver of the vehicle was cited 41 percent of the time, while the cyclist was only cited about 24 percent of the time. Neither party was ticketed in 31 percent of the cases, and both the driver and the rider were at fault only 4 percent of the time.
…
The study also found that pedestrians darted out into traffic far more often than cyclists. People who dashed out in front of vehicles accounted for about 14 percent of collisions involving a pedestrian, but cyclists who illegally rode through a traffic signal accounted for only 2.3 percent of bike-related accidents.
…
He said the most frequent cause of traffic accidents in Boulder "by a long shot" is drivers who follow too close and rear-end other vehicles.
…
City baffled by summer drop
The study also poses something of a mystery for city officials.
The report revealed — not surprisingly — that as the weather warms up, more people in Boulder take to riding their bike. But the study also found that the number of accidents involving bikes goes down in May, June and July.
Cowern, the traffic engineer, wasn’t certain why that is, but the smaller population of students over the summer could be part of the reason.
He also speculated that as the number of people on bikes reaches a certain point, drivers become so aware of them that behaviors change and accidents decrease. That’s a tantalizing theory for a city that prides itself on getting people out of their cars.
…
Continue reading “Boulder study sheds light on bicycle, pedestrian accidents”
What Is Car Culture Doing to Our Children?
By KJ DELL’ANTONIA, New York Times
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“Children,” Dr. Jackson told Jane E. Brody for The Times’s Well blog, “who grow up in suburbia can’t meet their life needs without getting a ride somewhere.”
For me, and I’m sure for many of you, those are slightly chilling words. The amount of time my children spend in a car being driven somewhere isn’t about being overscheduled or my hovering tendencies (although we could certainly discuss those things). It’s about the fact that unless I drive them, they’re limited: to one friend, whose mother has often already driven him somewhere else, and to the entertainment that’s to be found in one another and in the woods and fields around us. There are no sports, no movies, no after-school activities without my help.
We didn’t precisely choose this …
On the Well blog, Ms. Brody writes in her article “Communities Learn the Good Life Can Be a Killer,” … individual families like mine need to look at how we’ve structured our own lives around the expectation that we’re going to be constantly hopping in the car.
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Continue reading “What Is Car Culture Doing to Our Children?”
