Equality Streets

You might be interested in this forum thread about pedestrian safety in Bermondsey High St. I just posted this: More signs, beetroot!? No! Signs are a sign of failure to design streets in a way that stimulates empathy and expresses a social context. The thing that irritates me most as a cyclist is when someone starts crossing without looking, then becomes aware of my approach, then hesitates and steps back in the path I was already taking to avoid him/her. “I was aware and ahead of you, now you’ve made me brake; you should have kept going”! (I think to myself). People on foot should feel confident about crossing. They should be king and queen of the street. Of course, they have responsibilities as well as rights, and shouldn’t dart unexpectedly into the road. But it should be up to cyclists and drivers to beware people on foot, not the other way round. We can read the movement of pedestrians and make adjustments in the blink of an eye. In busy urban settings, cyclists and drivers have no business driving at dangerous speeds. Even 20 can be inappropriate. Would you want to be hit by a bus or a bike doing 20? They should be proceeding carefully, merging sociably with other road-users. We should all be equals on the road.