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Interesting thing is that cars are never considered to be threat to public safety. People have simply accepted that cycling/walking is unsafe (because of cars),
by enaaem 1y ago
Interesting thing is that cars are never considered to be threat to public safety. People have simply accepted that cycling/walking is unsafe (because of cars), so parents have to drive their kids everywhere.
During the 70s in the Netherlands there were massive protests called 'Stop the Child murder', because cars were killing too many children on bicycles. This was actually a conservative protest, because people were used to safe streets and simply did not accept that cars started killing their children.
- hexis 1y agoI think in the US we've done a great job educating a subset of the population about how dangerous cars are. In the wealthy, walkable neighborhood I live in, everyone is very sensitive to the dangers of cars. Cycling and walking are common, with many kids being involved too. That said, this understanding is very unevenly distributed, in large part because our neighborhood also gets more police attention and is generally very safe.
- enaaem 1y agoI don’t think it is just about awareness. Americans have simply accepted that cars are dangerous and thus traffic is dangerous and people have adjusted their whole lifestyle around it. For example, it’s normal to drive your kids everywhere.
- hexis 1y agoCars are dangerous. When crime began to decline after the early 90s, American cities had a renaissance with huge numbers of people moving to them. Now, with the rampant public disorder, we are back to suburbs dramatically outgrowing the center cities.
- rickydroll 1y agoOne under-mentioned hazard for pedestrians and bicyclists is poor outdoor lighting at night. I cannot tell you the number of times high-glare lighting has blocked my ability to see a pedestrian or cyclist. One thing I've noticed that makes biking/walking in conjunction with cars much safer is the construction of road-sized sidewalks with clear delineators, where pedestrians and cyclists can safely pass. In Helsinki, biking was a joy, despite the busy streets nearby. I saw the same organization in many parts of Israel—big sidewalks with a section designated for bicycles, scooters, and e-mobility devices. In many of the small cities surrounding Stockholm, dedicated bike paths with their lighting were located adjacent to the main roads. Around where I live, there is a three-lane main thoroughfare that has two lanes for travel and one lane for turning. There are sidewalks along this road, but they are functionally destroyed by the roots of trees growing near them. This could become more bicycle-friendly if roundabouts were installed at major intersections and the sidewalks were expanded to accommodate pedestrian/bicycle use. Although if they did, I could hear the screams about how the roundabouts are impeding traffic flow for commuters and removing all the sidewalk-destroying trees. I agree with the people who say it's not that we can't do it, it's that we won't do it.