Monthly Archives: January 2012

Exhibition Road

I’ve said as much before, but in response to this Observer piece about Exhibition Road, I’ll say it again. Is streetscape redesign enough on its own? Not in my view. People need to unlearn the bad habits of a lifetime instilled … Continue reading

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Shared space pedestrian casualty

I’ve always said that to achieve Equality Streets (or Roads FiT for People), deregulation is not enough on its own. Nor, in my view, is streetscape redesign enough on its own. News of a serious pedestrian casualty at one of Coventry’s … Continue reading

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AUTOcracy v DEMOcracy

Most traffic regulation is a vicious circle incorporating a dead end. It champions AUTOcracy over DEMOcracy. Most urban and suburban junctions could be thriving civilised spaces, but they are dehumanised by traffic regulation which imposes unequal rights and discriminates against vulnerable … Continue reading

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19th v 21st century resistance to rail

PM (Radio 4) had an item about Victorian resistance to railway development, implying there was a parallel with today’s opposition to HS2. Seems a narrow comparison, because in the 19th century, there were no telephones, cars or Internet.

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HS2

(Update of 2011 post at Free to Choose): Apart from the likelihood that the £32bn estimate for HS2 will increase to at least twice that sum, the trade-off, whichever way you cut it, is negative. HS2 would shave minutes off … Continue reading

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Gulliver’s travails

Congestion caused by volume of traffic is acceptable. We’re in the same boat. No problem. But congestion caused or aggravated by unnecessary traffic control – you know, making us stop for no reason other than the light is red – is … Continue reading

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Red tape, red lights

According to today’s news, NHS red tape is being cut to release nurses from the burden of form-filling so they can devote more time to patient care. As we know, there are moves to cut police red tape too, presumably … Continue reading

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