A good discussion of traffic culture & justice

From Streetfims

11 replies
  1. Brrr
    Brrr says:

    Cyclists are particularly prone to that “Mistakes were Made But Not By Me” syndrome. Often the situation may well not have been their fault, but it still could have been easily avoided had the person been making a stronger effort to anticipate the hazards ahead. Being in the right won’t make you any less dead if you don’t notice that truck turning.

  2. fred_dot_u
    fred_dot_u says:

    I would hesitate to say that “cyclists are prone…” unless one includes virtually everybody as people, as noted in the video.

    I’ll be happy to accept that untrained cyclists are more likely to have that syndrome. Some of us have taken TS101 and beyond and are more likely to recognize when an error is the fault of the rider and take responsibility for it.

    I’ve been struck by a motor vehicle, operated by someone who told me he didn’t see me. That is a suspect statement, based on the circumstances, but I’ll take ownership of being in the wrong place, passing on the right, even though I had the right of way.

    I was not willing to take ownership of that failure until after taking the TS101 course, however.

    I liked the sharrows in use!

  3. Bill
    Bill says:

    Interesting interview. Traffic is a great book and I agree with acline, it’s a “must read”.

    Regarding driver’s licenses, one of the reasons it’s so hard to take away someone’s driving privileges is that in all but a few cases there’s no other way for people to get around to earn a living and do all the other things that have to be done. We need more alternative means of transportation, walkable streets, bicycle friendly streets, and effective transit.

  4. Keri
    Keri says:

    Not having the choice to use a car is a whole other animal than choosing biking or walking for short trips.

    When talking about eliminating car use, effective transit is the key component in a sprawling metro. Few people are willing to use human powered transportation for 10-20 mile trips. People with lower incomes often cannot afford to live near where they work.

    Even people who really, really want to use a bike for transportation, struggle with longer commutes. Of course, from April to November a shower at the end of the trip is pretty much mandatory.

    People who lose their driving privileges have little incentive to rise to the challenge of being car free, so they drive anyway. If they were responsible citizens, they probably wouldn’t have lost the privilege in the first place.

    • Laura M
      Laura M says:

      People don’t want to think outside the box and changing habits is hard. Driving is a habit. That habit is also catered to in many many ways – transportation dollars spent on infrastructure to move as many cars as possible during peak hour, fuel taxes, design manuals, etc.

      Transit, at least in Florida and other sprawling sunbelt places is for people living on the margins. Not for people that are perceived as being successful and educated. The same could be said for biking or walking for transportation. Thus there’s a real lack of investment and buy-in for these modes.

      That said, I am seeing more and more people riding their bikes for transportation lately. ‘Tis a good thing and I’m more hopeful than ever that a real paradigm shift is taking place in central florida.

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