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Monthly Archives: June 2012
Harry Potter on common law
In The Strange Case of the Law (BBC2), criminal defence barrister, Harry Potter (who keeps his wig in a Quality Street tin), says that English common law was “this country’s greatest gift to the world”. Our traffic control system looked that … Continue reading
Pedestrian safety v traffic flow?
A letter in today’s Telegraph says pedestrian safety is more important than traffic flow, and longer green time is the only way to improve pedestrian safety. No. Equality is a panacea: with equal rights and responsibilities, road-users coexist as equals. In the intrinsically safe framework created … Continue reading
Relationships not rules
Discussing deficiencies in child protection services, ITN social affairs editor, Penny Marshall, said, “abused children want relationships, not rules”. You could say the same for road-users, burdened by vexatious traffic regulation. As a basis for road-user relationships, priority is nothing less than an … Continue reading
Designing for danger
Traffic officers run a system that’s intrinsically dangerous, then devise expensive controls to mitigate the danger. But inevitably they fail, because all they are doing is treating the symptoms of the problem they created in the first place. If they dealt with … Continue reading
Catch-22
The scientific method requires proof by experimentation. How do you prove that equality-based self-control is safer and more efficient than formal control, when the highway authorities who can give permission for meaningful experiments refuse it? They have a vested interest in the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Catch-22, Equality Streets, traffic control, traffic management
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Traffic control causes congestion
Monmouth. A40 southbound approaching the A466 (Wye Valley/Tintern Abbey route). Got caught there in diabolical congestion five years ago. Heading north to Ross-on-Wye last Friday, we saw the same half-mile 3-lane tailback and were reminded of it. Luckily we returned early Sunday … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged A40, Monmouth, Ross-on-Wye, traffic congestion, traffic managers, traffic-lights
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Designing for danger
The priority-based system is designed for danger (unequal rights, conflicting speeds, distracting signals, etc), then traffic officers devise increasingly expensive systems (more of the above, pedestrian countdown, etc) to mitigate the danger they themselves have cooked up. You can of course design … Continue reading
Brassed off
Today I was timing the traffic lights in Braunton (near Barnstaple) where I still have plans for a lights-off trial, despite a refusal from Devon Highways and apathy from the current Parish Council. The trial is to prove the obvious: … Continue reading
Equality = no austerity
Does Will Hutton have a tendency to exaggerate bad news? In this piece, he quotes economics professor, Yanis Varoufakis: “There is zero chance of austerity working. It’s like thinking you can escape gravity by waving your arms up and down.” … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged austerity, Equality Streets, growth, kind cuts, Will Hutton
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Wind or traffic lights?
Proposed cuts to windfarm subsidies are rattling recipients, and challenging government claims to be “the greenest ever”. No less a seer than James Lovelock rubbished the claims made for wind power. I’m blue from saying it, but not only can … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged efficiency savings, Equality Streets, James Lovelock, kind cuts, windfarms
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