Kilkenny and traffic lights

This week, at the invitation of a business group, I was in Kilkenny, Ireland, taking stock and sharing my views about traffic (see this in The Irish Times). Kilkenny is a lovely place, made unlovely by traffic queuing at unnecessary traffic lights. At a couple of presentations, objectors asked how I would cater for disabled people. The clue is in the name. Equality Streets = inclusivity. The realistic aim is to make roads a cradle of safety for all road-users. Without lights distracting them, drivers will be sensitive to the needs of others. A new hierarchy will emerge with vulnerable road-users at the top. Fears and objections stem from a lifetime of slavery to rules of the road which are anti-social and divisive. Free from that oppression, the potential for co-operation in human nature will be unleashed.