Tag Archives: Equality Streets

HS2

(Update of 2011 post at Free to Choose): Apart from the likelihood that the £32bn estimate for HS2 will increase to at least twice that sum, the trade-off, whichever way you cut it, is negative. HS2 would shave minutes off … Continue reading

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Gulliver’s travails

Congestion caused by volume of traffic is acceptable. We’re in the same boat. No problem. But congestion caused or aggravated by unnecessary traffic control – you know, making us stop for no reason other than the light is red – is … Continue reading

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Red tape, red lights

According to today’s news, NHS red tape is being cut to release nurses from the burden of form-filling so they can devote more time to patient care. As we know, there are moves to cut police red tape too, presumably … Continue reading

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Crocodile tears

Yet another cyclist is killed at traffic lights in London (story here). These “tragedies” are a direct consequence of the infamous rules and design of the road. It means yet more blood on the hands of the authorities who adhere … Continue reading

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Historic connections

On Stephen Fry’s Radio 4 series about the history of mobile phones, a designer of HTC smartphones said he aimed to create devices that were “so simple that using them was almost innate”. It reminded me that traffic regulation seems bent … Continue reading

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Fuel prices

A few decades ago, when income tax hit 98%, most high earners went into tax exile. Now the top rate of tax is a reasonable 50%, although it’s due to drop to 40% (also reasonable) as soon as the government … 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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Is street design enough?

Ben Hamilton-Baillie, street designer and proponent of shared space (he penned the phrase), thinks streetscape redesign is enough on its own, and that streets are designed to express a social context, road-users will instinctively start behaving sociably. I accept that to a degree, … Continue reading

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Good and bad cuts

It’s reported that NHS managers are delaying surgery in the hope that patients will die first or go private. The justification is that the NHS has to find £20bn in spending cuts by 2015. Meanwhile, there is scope in traffic … Continue reading

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