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I don't like the disrupting the flow of traffic idea. Accidents happen in places where the flow is disrupted. E.g. junctions, give ways, reasons to stop. It's

I don't like the disrupting the flow of traffic idea. Accidents happen in places where the flow is disrupted. E.g. junctions, give ways, reasons to stop. It's like making a knife blunt to make it safer, in reality it makes it way more dangerous

ftyers 4y ago
It's hard to have a serious accident when you're going under 10 miles an hour. And I also disagree that blunt knives are more dangerous. One might give their child a plastic knife which is totally blunt, but not a super sharp machete.
- drdunce 4y ago
  I disagree, it's sadly easy. You can be involved in a serious accident while stationary (broken down on the side of the road). This is an extreme example of how a lot of accidents occur when mixing speeds (being rear ended at lights etc.). It's that mix that road calming measure often create. A plastic knife is barely a knife at all, it's almost completely useless and so is a 10mph road. The solution to road safety can't be to drive at jogging pace. Roads are still a transport infrastructure and for practical reasons, speed has to remain an evaluation metric (a good road is both safe and fast). There's plenty of examples of safe and performant roads. We wouldn't want to make the 50 mile commute to the shops or work over the course of several days.
  - jgwil2 4y ago
    That's why there needs to be a sharp distinction between streets, which are for people and which should be limited to 10mph, and roads, which are for cars and should be physically separated from pedestrians.
giraffe_lady 4y ago
The point isn't necessarily to reduce accidents it's to reduce serious injuries and deaths. Slowing down is safer if there is an accident. That said I'm not convinced things like this do increase accidents. The knife analogy is suspect but potentially accurate for that very reason. This is a common saying, but my first career was as a professional cook and that common saying is a running joke and source of constant mockery in professional kitchens. People who work around knives know that sharp knives are much more dangerous than dull ones. They're valued for other reasons, not safety.
- drdunce 4y ago
  Well I don't have stats for the US, but in the UK speeding isn't the main problem. Represents about 7.5% of our accidents. Most of our accidents are right of way violations and those are no running joke. So reducing interactions between drivers and maintaining flow is key.

ftyers 4y ago

It's hard to have a serious accident when you're going under 10 miles an hour. And I also disagree that blunt knives are more dangerous. One might give their child a plastic knife which is totally blunt, but not a super sharp machete.

drdunce 4y ago
I disagree, it's sadly easy. You can be involved in a serious accident while stationary (broken down on the side of the road). This is an extreme example of how a lot of accidents occur when mixing speeds (being rear ended at lights etc.). It's that mix that road calming measure often create. A plastic knife is barely a knife at all, it's almost completely useless and so is a 10mph road. The solution to road safety can't be to drive at jogging pace. Roads are still a transport infrastructure and for practical reasons, speed has to remain an evaluation metric (a good road is both safe and fast). There's plenty of examples of safe and performant roads. We wouldn't want to make the 50 mile commute to the shops or work over the course of several days.
- jgwil2 4y ago
  That's why there needs to be a sharp distinction between streets, which are for people and which should be limited to 10mph, and roads, which are for cars and should be physically separated from pedestrians.

giraffe_lady 4y ago

The point isn't necessarily to reduce accidents it's to reduce serious injuries and deaths. Slowing down is safer if there is an accident. That said I'm not convinced things like this do increase accidents. The knife analogy is suspect but potentially accurate for that very reason. This is a common saying, but my first career was as a professional cook and that common saying is a running joke and source of constant mockery in professional kitchens. People who work around knives know that sharp knives are much more dangerous than dull ones. They're valued for other reasons, not safety.

drdunce 4y ago
Well I don't have stats for the US, but in the UK speeding isn't the main problem. Represents about 7.5% of our accidents. Most of our accidents are right of way violations and those are no running joke. So reducing interactions between drivers and maintaining flow is key.