Tag Archives: traffic control

Congestion charging + HS2 = public waste x 2

What does HS2 have in common with the congestion charge? It will cost the earth, and it’s being imposed before traffic reform has even been tried. Cars are uniquely convenient, allowing us to visit multiple destinations at times of our choosing. They … Continue reading

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Worst peacetime disaster?

As mentioned before, no-one died of phone-hacking, but coverage has been wall-to-wall. Meanwhile, on the roads, every year, 25,000 human beings are killed or hurt, many of them children. Yet my pitches to press and broadcast outlets about authentic solutions to our … Continue reading

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Sir Walter Scott and traffic control

Is there a link? No. Humour, humanity, empathy – these abound in Walter Scott, I learned in a Radio 4 programme presented by James Naughtie. By contrast, all are conspicuous by their absence in the mean-spirited murk of traffic control and enforcement. … Continue reading

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Catch-22

The scientific method requires proof by experimentation. How do you prove that equality-based self-control is safer and more efficient than formal control, when the highway authorities who can give permission for meaningful experiments refuse it? They have a vested interest in the … Continue reading

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Smacking children = disabling drivers

On the subject of smacking on Any Questions, the excellent Steve Jones said he was hit a lot at school, and that smackers often smacked to show who was in charge, which created nothing but resentment at injustice. There is a … Continue reading

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AUTOcracy v DEMOcracy

Most traffic regulation is a vicious circle incorporating a dead end. It champions AUTOcracy over DEMOcracy. Most urban and suburban junctions could be thriving civilised spaces, but they are dehumanised by traffic regulation which imposes unequal rights and discriminates against vulnerable … 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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What goes around …

Is it far-fetched to suggest that social discontent is prompted by public policy which treats us like morons (most traffic control) or cash cows (fuel duty, parking controls, speed cameras, 0844 phone numbers, etc)? Such public policy failures widen the gap … Continue reading

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Naughtie but too nice?

In the news today: cuts in government subsidies to local bus services, i.e. a kick in the teeth for the people, against a backdrop of abysmal existing provision, punitive parking controls in towns, and government obsession with a £60bn hi-speed … Continue reading

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Dissing and disabling us

The Observer has an article about indoor pursuits and health+safety fears causing a decline in the physical strength of children. Similarly, by prohibiting autonomous acts, traffic controls weaken our ability to make decisions. Increasingly, pedestrians and drivers are incapable of crossing … Continue reading

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