I was hit by an SUV turning right on red when I was walking across a crosswalk where I had the walk signal. I got up and ran away, but still ended up with an extremely painful fracture to my spine. At first she apologized and then five minutes later I heard I her talking to the cops and blaming me for what happened while I sat in the grass and cried as first responders checked me. The last thing I saw before she drove into me was that she didn't look in my direction at all as she turned. I had been waiting under a giant sign that stated turning cars must yield to pedestrians.
Planning student here. I strongly disagree with the current use of speeding camera. They are almost always used on streets with design speeds far higher than the speed limit, effectively turning them into cash machines for municipalities. They reduce speeds but punish ordinary drivers who happen to not be paying attention far more than actually reckless drivers. We have much better traffic calming solutions available than enforcement for many driving safety hazards. Let’s start using them instead of demonizing each other.
Among engineering, education, and enforcement, engineering is definitely the most important E. That's why I write so much about it.
With safety cameras, most only issue a citation for people driving 10+ over the limit. "Reckless" should be thought of in relation to the context of the street, not in legal terms. Driving 10 over the limit on a city street is reckless. That behavior deserves consequences, whether it's accidental or deliberate.
The problem is that speed limits are set so arbitrarily and have so little relation to the geometry of the road that going 10 over the speed limit is not a valid frame of reference for recklessness. For example, I live on a quaint residential street with street parking and a width of about 10 meters in total. The speed limit is 50km/h and driving 10 over that (or even equivalent to the speed limit) would be dangerous, uncomfortable, and reckless. Therefore, most people drive about 30km/h without the need for a camera to punish them into it. Another road in my city has 7 lanes with no homes on it, intersections about 1km apart, a grass clear zone, and highway width lanes. The speed limit is the exact same as the limit on my road. Almost no one drives the speed limit, because the design speed is probably 70-75km/h. Putting a speed camera here would be stupid, as it would just punish drivers for the bad design of the roadway in relation to its posted speed limit. While a speed camera would work well on my street, where you would only trip it if you were being reckless, on this other road it would be regressive and stupid. So, that’s my rant on why this is a stupid idea in almost all cases in North America.
Exactly. I've also heard that the best reduction in red light running was actually accomplished by just lengthening the yellow. In other words, most "red light runners " are just trying to beat the yellow, probably because they didn't want to brake hard to get stopped in time. Unfortunately, many cities implementing red light cameras go the opposite direction, shortening the yellow to get more revenue.
Yes, I love sharing that video on Twitter. Makes people's heads explode. Another that's accidentally funny is a 1954 GM propaganda video that makes the point that sprawl hasn't brought it's promises (showing people miserable in traffic). 1954!
Everyone should have to ride around on a bicycle to appreciate the other side. I see so many complaints about cyclists not obeyong the rules while the same people ignore people doing the same and worse in cars.
That NY intersection looks like on I was stuck at in NYC on our last trip. One good driver won't fix it. It would need a cultural change or an officer in the middle of the intersection.
Fascinating. As a British person who drives, I am completely used to (and I accept) a level of technological enforcement of good driving behaviour which will probably seem madly authoritarian to the average USA driver. The vast majority of our box junctions and traffic lights and local road and motorway speed limits are subject to objective camera control (and police patrols on faster routes) with heavy fines and cumulative points on your driving licence for many offences - so you can lose your licence if you are a repeat offender. It makes for careful and sometimes "anxious" driving - but it has dramatically improved UK road safety. Plus we actually close our school roads to cars at certain times - you have to walk your kids to school. Without all this surveillance and potential punishment, our drivers would be equally selfish and dangerous, we aren't any nicer behind the wheel, just forced to drive better!
I just read a series in @Reality Tunnels about American car culture - fascinating reading about how the car lobby changed our perception of who owns the road, how cars were the original social media, and how car culture has isolated us.
I think getting behind the wheel and having that psychological and physical barrier between them and the outside world makes them do things they otherwise wouldn't do.
Automated enforcement will have to find a way to deal with the plague of forged and counterfeit temporary tags I see in my area. Local authorities are aware of it but see above about diminished patrol enforcement. Short of pulling folks over and confiscating unregistered vehicles I'm not sure what to do about that.
As someone who does 40% walking, 40%biking, 20% driving in a dense urban environment people get actively more aggressive and violating traffic rules if they are on a scooter or e-bike with a throttle. Way more self endangering than a danger to others like if they were in a car, but totally undermining of the idea that more e-bikes will improve driver behavior or especially tensions between different modes of transport. At the intersection by me I usually see 6 illegal right on red by cars, but 2-3 gas delivery scooters running the light turning left or going straight across using the bike lane per day, car doing that only once every few weeks.
Engineering is absolutely the most important of the Safety Es. I respect Strong Towns, but Enforcement is crucial. Speed and red light cameras have a proven safety track record.
I was hit by an SUV turning right on red when I was walking across a crosswalk where I had the walk signal. I got up and ran away, but still ended up with an extremely painful fracture to my spine. At first she apologized and then five minutes later I heard I her talking to the cops and blaming me for what happened while I sat in the grass and cried as first responders checked me. The last thing I saw before she drove into me was that she didn't look in my direction at all as she turned. I had been waiting under a giant sign that stated turning cars must yield to pedestrians.
It’s well established that red light cameras are racist. Have you seen the disparate impact statistics? Why do you support such systemic racism?
Planning student here. I strongly disagree with the current use of speeding camera. They are almost always used on streets with design speeds far higher than the speed limit, effectively turning them into cash machines for municipalities. They reduce speeds but punish ordinary drivers who happen to not be paying attention far more than actually reckless drivers. We have much better traffic calming solutions available than enforcement for many driving safety hazards. Let’s start using them instead of demonizing each other.
Among engineering, education, and enforcement, engineering is definitely the most important E. That's why I write so much about it.
With safety cameras, most only issue a citation for people driving 10+ over the limit. "Reckless" should be thought of in relation to the context of the street, not in legal terms. Driving 10 over the limit on a city street is reckless. That behavior deserves consequences, whether it's accidental or deliberate.
The problem is that speed limits are set so arbitrarily and have so little relation to the geometry of the road that going 10 over the speed limit is not a valid frame of reference for recklessness. For example, I live on a quaint residential street with street parking and a width of about 10 meters in total. The speed limit is 50km/h and driving 10 over that (or even equivalent to the speed limit) would be dangerous, uncomfortable, and reckless. Therefore, most people drive about 30km/h without the need for a camera to punish them into it. Another road in my city has 7 lanes with no homes on it, intersections about 1km apart, a grass clear zone, and highway width lanes. The speed limit is the exact same as the limit on my road. Almost no one drives the speed limit, because the design speed is probably 70-75km/h. Putting a speed camera here would be stupid, as it would just punish drivers for the bad design of the roadway in relation to its posted speed limit. While a speed camera would work well on my street, where you would only trip it if you were being reckless, on this other road it would be regressive and stupid. So, that’s my rant on why this is a stupid idea in almost all cases in North America.
Exactly. I've also heard that the best reduction in red light running was actually accomplished by just lengthening the yellow. In other words, most "red light runners " are just trying to beat the yellow, probably because they didn't want to brake hard to get stopped in time. Unfortunately, many cities implementing red light cameras go the opposite direction, shortening the yellow to get more revenue.
This has been with us for some time, see Goofy motor mania 1950:
https://youtu.be/mwPSIb3kt_4?feature=shared
Engineering definitely has a major role to play in overcoming these issues.
Yes, I love sharing that video on Twitter. Makes people's heads explode. Another that's accidentally funny is a 1954 GM propaganda video that makes the point that sprawl hasn't brought it's promises (showing people miserable in traffic). 1954!
Everyone should have to ride around on a bicycle to appreciate the other side. I see so many complaints about cyclists not obeyong the rules while the same people ignore people doing the same and worse in cars.
That NY intersection looks like on I was stuck at in NYC on our last trip. One good driver won't fix it. It would need a cultural change or an officer in the middle of the intersection.
Fascinating. As a British person who drives, I am completely used to (and I accept) a level of technological enforcement of good driving behaviour which will probably seem madly authoritarian to the average USA driver. The vast majority of our box junctions and traffic lights and local road and motorway speed limits are subject to objective camera control (and police patrols on faster routes) with heavy fines and cumulative points on your driving licence for many offences - so you can lose your licence if you are a repeat offender. It makes for careful and sometimes "anxious" driving - but it has dramatically improved UK road safety. Plus we actually close our school roads to cars at certain times - you have to walk your kids to school. Without all this surveillance and potential punishment, our drivers would be equally selfish and dangerous, we aren't any nicer behind the wheel, just forced to drive better!
I just read a series in @Reality Tunnels about American car culture - fascinating reading about how the car lobby changed our perception of who owns the road, how cars were the original social media, and how car culture has isolated us.
I think getting behind the wheel and having that psychological and physical barrier between them and the outside world makes them do things they otherwise wouldn't do.
That statistic on red light running is scary!
Automated enforcement will have to find a way to deal with the plague of forged and counterfeit temporary tags I see in my area. Local authorities are aware of it but see above about diminished patrol enforcement. Short of pulling folks over and confiscating unregistered vehicles I'm not sure what to do about that.
True. NYC estimates 5% of their violations are ghost/illegal plates.
As someone who does 40% walking, 40%biking, 20% driving in a dense urban environment people get actively more aggressive and violating traffic rules if they are on a scooter or e-bike with a throttle. Way more self endangering than a danger to others like if they were in a car, but totally undermining of the idea that more e-bikes will improve driver behavior or especially tensions between different modes of transport. At the intersection by me I usually see 6 illegal right on red by cars, but 2-3 gas delivery scooters running the light turning left or going straight across using the bike lane per day, car doing that only once every few weeks.
I would just add that street design should make the speed limit feel natural. This podcast shaped my thinking on speed cameras: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/9/18/the-arguments-for-speed-cameras-and-why-they-dont-hold-up
Engineering is absolutely the most important of the Safety Es. I respect Strong Towns, but Enforcement is crucial. Speed and red light cameras have a proven safety track record.
I'd be happy to have both good engineering and enforcement!