By Laura Laker, The Guardian
When Mark Hodson gets on his bike in the morning, like many cyclists in the UK, he has come to expect a few close calls. Perhaps drivers will whizz past him too close, or someone will even try a ‘punishment pass’.
Luckily, Hodson is a West Midlands Police traffic officer, albeit in plain clothes, and just yards up the road a colleague in a police car is waiting to pull over drivers that give him less than 1.5m space when overtaking (a distance that increases for faster speeds and larger vehicles).
That driver will be offered a choice: prosecution, or 15 minutes’ education on how to overtake a cyclist safely. The worst drivers, or repeat offenders, will simply be prosecuted.
…
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2016/sep/16/undercover-bike-cops-launch-best-ever-cycle-safety-scheme-in-birmingham
The button is false
The story below reminded me how the talking pedestrian crossings around the inner harbor had to be programmed to say “No one has pressed the button.” but they decided on “The button is false.” A lot clearer and an improvement in pedestrian safety right? I’m not sure if they still do that but still, a totally different attitude than what’s described below.
– B’ Spokes
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MANY BOSTON, MA (& ELSEWHERE) PED WALK BUTTONS DO NOTHING
-> The Boston Globe reports the vast majority of walk buttons that dot downtown neighborhoods, don’t actually do anything. Officials say the city’s core is just too congested — with cars and pedestrians — to allow any one person to manipulate the cycle. Other major cities around the world, including New York, Seattle, and London, follow similar protocols. While pedestrians may be irked to learn they have been pressing what amount to placebo buttons, Boston officials say the setting is actually aimed at making life easier for walkers by eliminating the need to push a button at all. There was a time when pedestrians needed to press the device to ensure they got their turn. Now, traffic lights at many busy intersections are programmed to assume that pedestrians are constantly looking to cross. https://bit.ly/2vNQjgD
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
WHO PAYS FOR ROADS? A STATE-BY-STATE LOOK
-> State Smart Transportation Initiative reports all roads are subsidized, but to wildly varying degrees in each state. A new state-by-state study from the Tax Foundation found that user fees only cover a fraction of total road costs, ranging from 12% in Alaska to 76% in Hawaii. (How Are Your State’s Roads Funded?: https://bit.ly/2vNU2L9) While the report does not give a national figure, a previous version estimated user fees cover just 50% of road costs. https://bit.ly/2wGpd7l
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
[B’ Spokes: Maryland share of roads paid by user fees and taxes is 66.9%.]
Hyperloopism is infecting everything; It’s time for sustainable alternatives.
By Lloyd Alter, Treehugger
…
Hyperloopism. The perfect word to define a crazy new and unproven technology which nobody is sure will work, that probably isn’t better or cheaper than the way things are done now, and is often counterproductive and used as an excuse to actually do nothing at all. It appears to have been coined by Matthew Yglesias five years ago in the title of a post (The Trouble With Hyperloopism) but I can find no other uses of it on Google.
…
We actually do know how to fix things. We know how to make streets safe for pedestrians and stop murdering children; we know how to reduce carbon emissions to almost zero. But in the USA it appears that Hyperloopism is the religion of the day, and Elon Musk will solve it all. Somehow, I think people are going to be disappointed.
https://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/hyperloopism-infecting-everything-its-time-sustainable-alternatives.html
Drivers Declare War on Walkers
By LEWIS MCCRARY, The Americain Conservative
Over the last decade, it’s become safer to drive and more dangerous to walk. That’s the conclusion of a new report on pedestrian safety released earlier this week, which documents that from 2007 to 2016, “The number of pedestrian fatalities increased 27 percent … while at the same time, all other traffic deaths decreased by 14 percent.”
Alarmingly, this is not just a medium-term trend, reports the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). In the U.S., “pedestrians now account for a larger proportion of traffic fatalities than they have in the past 33 years.”
…
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/urbs/drivers-declare-war-on-walkers/
America’s Pedestrian Safety Crisis Isn’t Getting Any Better
By Angie Schmitt, Streets Blog
America isn’t making progress on pedestrian safety, with people on foot accounting for a steadily rising share of overall traffic fatalities.
In 2017, for the second year running, nearly 6,000 people were struck and killed while walking in the U.S., according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association [PDF]. The pedestrian fatality rate remains about 25 percent higher than where it stood just a few years ago.
Other than the increase in driving mileage, there are few solid explanations of the factors at work. GHSA suggests distraction by mobile devices plays a role, as may impairment by marijuana, with pedestrian deaths rising more in states that have legalized weed. Neither explanation has been studied with scientific rigor, however.
One thing that’s certain is that city governments are in position to act on the problem, because pedestrian deaths are concentrated in urban areas. In 2016 alone, pedestrian fatalities in the 10 biggest U.S. cities rose 28 percent. In Los Angeles, the increase was 45 percent.
To reduce pedestrian fatalities, GHSA says states and local governments should focus on the following three areas.
[Just the headlines]
* More separation of pedestrians from motor vehicles
* Better visibility [s/b better nighttime iluumination]
* Reduce lethal motor vehicle speeds using engineering and enforcement
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/03/05/americas-pedestrian-safety-crisis-isnt-getting-any-better/
Maryland standard practice is NOT recommended by Manual of Traffic Control Devices
Federal Manual of Uniform Traffic control Devices:
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Q: Should “share the road” signing be used to inform drivers of the likely presence of bicyclists and to inform them to pass bicyclists safely?
A: The SHARE THE ROAD (W16-1P) plaque was introduced into the MUTCD in the context of slow-moving farm equipment with no associated mention of bicyclists. Since that time it has become prevalent in conjunction with the Bicycle (W11-1) warning sign with the intent of warning drivers of the presence of bicyclists and warning drivers to pass safely. Research has shown that the “share the road” message when applied to bicyclists does not adequately communicate the responsibilities of either user group on the roadway. Road users are unclear whether “share the road” means that drivers should give space when passing or that bicyclists should pull to the side to allow drivers to pass. Where bicyclists are expected or preferred to use the full lane, that message is more clearly communicated with the Bicycles May Use Full Lane (R4-11) sign, supplemented by shared-lane markings as appropriate. When using the Bicycle (W11-1) warning sign, many jurisdictions have phased out the use of “share the road” in favor of an IN LANE or ON ROADWAY word message plaque, more clearly indicating the condition ahead instead of giving an unclear instruction. It is still compliant with the MUTCD if a jurisdiction chooses to post a SHARE THE ROAD (W16-1P) plaque under a Bicycle (W11-1) warning sign, but it would not be the best practice.
…
https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/knowledge/faqs/faq_part9.htm
Maryland Manual of Uniform Traffic control Devices:
Section 2C.60 SHARE THE ROAD Plaque (W16-1P)
Option:
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02 A W16-1P plaque shall not be used alone. If a W16-1P plaque is used, it shall be mounted below
either a Vehicular Traffic Warning sign (see Section 2C.49) [which includes W11-1 bicycle warning sign] or a Non-Vehicular Warning sign (see Section
2C.50). The background color of the W16-1P plaque shall match the background color of the warning sign
with which it is displayed.
…
https://www.roads.maryland.gov/mmutcd/2011_Chapters_02C.pdf
Do I need to say we have a law requiring “best practices” which Maryland does not?
https://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20111025010622931