Monthly Archives: October 2011

Traffic system reform could fund fusion power. And more …

As explained here, and developed in an article yet to be published, traffic system reform can not only make roads safe, convivial and less congested, it can provide annual savings of tens of billions. In this Observer exchange, Craig Hitchings … Continue reading

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Numbers v context

On the Today Programme the other day, a road safety spokesman (I missed his name) said the only way to reduce accidents is to reduce speed limits. He wants 20mph in all urban areas. As I’ve written elsewhere, would you want to … Continue reading

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Nudge theory and Equality Streets

On PM today, head of nudge unit Dr David Halpern said, “People want to do the right thing but they don’t always have the information”. More to the point, certainly where road-user interaction is concerned: people want to do the right … Continue reading

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Noisy but nifty

A comment thread about some of my traffic videos was brought to my notice here. It contains a video of Hanoi traffic – noisy but nifty, with no hostility or needless delay.

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Greening not green

The outgoing transport minister didn’t even reply to my overtures when the Coalition took office. Any hope that his replacement, Justine Greening, would present an open ear were scotched when she said on R4 that transport “offers great challenges and opportunities, … Continue reading

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Censored

Interesting to see authorities and media lumped together in this Guardian piece about the Wall St protests. I’ve been doing it for some time re. my efforts at traffic system reform, which are falling on stony ground in both government … Continue reading

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The “bible”

Not all traffic engineers are fools, but they have inherited a defective (priority-based) system which gives rise to the torture rack of traffic control and is rarely questioned, partly because it is enshrined in a book known in the profession … Continue reading

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Improper nomenclature

As mentioned elsewhere, traffic authorities refer to a driver who disobeys a red light as a red light jumper (RLJ). But what if you proceed carefully, after checking there is no conflicting traffic? In the eyes of the authorities, you’re … Continue reading

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