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Yes, same goes for following traffic rules. You cannot just fix the traffic problems by patting people on the back for stopping at the red light. You need to fi

Yes, same goes for following traffic rules. You cannot just fix the traffic problems by patting people on the back for stopping at the red light. You need to fine people as much as possible; the higher the fines, the lower the cases of traffic rules violation.

totetsu 6y ago
Relevant 99PI https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/policing-the-open-road/ https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/policing-the-open-roa... This episode talks about the history of people ignoring the road rules when cars came about.
throwaway0a5e 6y ago
Sure you might get the traffic on I95 to actually go the posted limit of 55 with North Korea-esque enforcement but if your goal is to prevent traffic from having an absurd differential it's probably better for everyone to increase the number on the sign. Same goes for intersections that violate people's expectations of what should be a stop vs a yield. Traffic is all about making interactions predictable so people know what to do and how to do it right. Reducing variance in behavior is far more important than what the speed is or how any given traffic control device is treated. Traffic rules are all about dumbing down these complex fuzzy patterns into something we can codify, enforce and build consistent signage/markings for. With the number of un-legislated edge cases ratcheting up fines is a recipe for resentment among the populace (possibly leading to different voting patterns not in favor of whoever driving the push for fines). Strict enforcement usually comes with the nasty side effect of being regressive and having demographically uneven outcomes. Lax enforcement results in variable behavior. For example some people stop religiously at a certain sign, some people don't, body language indicating someone is going to do one and then they do the other can lead to unpredictability in the eyes of the other road participants (e.g. pedestrian trying to cross there) and bad outcomes. The modern thinking (borne out by studies) regarding traffic is that the best approach is to make it easy and natural for people to do the right thing. Want people to take a stop sign seriously instead of mostly yielding, turn your Y intersection into a T. Want to slow people down without reducing visibility? Paint narrower lanes.
Dirlewanger 6y ago
Except they aren't effective, and have done nothing but piss people off. Many municipalities have been getting rid of them for years now.

totetsu 6y ago

Relevant 99PI https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/policing-the-open-road/ https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/policing-the-open-roa... This episode talks about the history of people ignoring the road rules when cars came about.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago

Sure you might get the traffic on I95 to actually go the posted limit of 55 with North Korea-esque enforcement but if your goal is to prevent traffic from having an absurd differential it's probably better for everyone to increase the number on the sign. Same goes for intersections that violate people's expectations of what should be a stop vs a yield. Traffic is all about making interactions predictable so people know what to do and how to do it right. Reducing variance in behavior is far more important than what the speed is or how any given traffic control device is treated. Traffic rules are all about dumbing down these complex fuzzy patterns into something we can codify, enforce and build consistent signage/markings for. With the number of un-legislated edge cases ratcheting up fines is a recipe for resentment among the populace (possibly leading to different voting patterns not in favor of whoever driving the push for fines). Strict enforcement usually comes with the nasty side effect of being regressive and having demographically uneven outcomes. Lax enforcement results in variable behavior. For example some people stop religiously at a certain sign, some people don't, body language indicating someone is going to do one and then they do the other can lead to unpredictability in the eyes of the other road participants (e.g. pedestrian trying to cross there) and bad outcomes. The modern thinking (borne out by studies) regarding traffic is that the best approach is to make it easy and natural for people to do the right thing. Want people to take a stop sign seriously instead of mostly yielding, turn your Y intersection into a T. Want to slow people down without reducing visibility? Paint narrower lanes.

Dirlewanger 6y ago

Except they aren't effective, and have done nothing but piss people off. Many municipalities have been getting rid of them for years now.