Saturday, October 17, 2009

It's transportation week at the Evil Line. Today, Slate asks if bicycles should obey traffic laws:

"If there weren't cars, we wouldn't need stop signs," says Andy Thornley of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. "They're not there for bicycles." Bikers can safely slow down, look both ways, and proceed without sacrificing the momentum necessary to keep cycling, says Thornley. Lawmakers tend to favor the full-stop, in part because not all cyclists are skilled enough to judge the safety of proceeding through an intersection. During a debate in the Oregon state legislature, one representative admitted that he doesn't like stopping at signs. "But I do it because it's the law," he said. Plus, if bikes can cruise through stop signs, why not cars? Why do bikes deserve special treatment?

This piece also has an interesting distinction between "vehicularists" and "facilitators". I think I'm a vehicularist, but I can see both sides.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The London congestion toll is working. But people hate it:

London Mayor Boris Johnson recently conducted a survey on expanding the London Congestion Charge Zone and found that 67 percent of respondents were opposed.

This is a problem with shared space traffic control, also. It works, but people don't like it. They like their cars, and like not having to pay attention when they drive.

Also on the transportation beat, mass transit may not be quite as green as you might think.