[sustran] Car Safety and Landuse.

[Stephen Browne]

Dear Members,
	Much is heard about new cars that have new and improved safety
features, for the passengers inside. I would be intersted in hearing
what anybody might know about new and improved safety features that are
aimed at decreasing driver / pedestrian and driver / cyclist accidents.
Changing traffic laws and the provision of better facilities for
cyclists is one obvious method. But is there anything that car
manufacturers themselves can do ?
	I was reading a US Department of Transport report defending the use of
Right Turn on Red ( RTOR ) lanes saying that the overall percentage of
cyclists and pedestrians killed in these situations is low. But if a
bike lane is positioned on the drivers inside, is a RTOR lane still
feasible? Would the benefits of giving the cyclist more right of way
outweigh the increased air pollution of idling cars? 
	Living and working here in the Japan, the situation as regards cycling
is difficult. For a start there are very few cycle lanes. Most roads,
especially suburban ones, are extremely narrow, barely allowing two cars
to squeeze by, let alone two cars and a bike. The police also delight in
towing your bike away from outside subway stations, there of course
being no proper place to leave them ( You also don't have to lock them
with a kryptonite to something solid, this being Japan - thereby
facilitating their removal) . This results in only a $20 fine but is not
condusive to promoting cycling. Connecting Yokohama and East Tokyo an
undersea tunnel has just been opened, the Aqualine,  costing a
staggering $800 a mm - its 20km long so work that out ! This is part of
Tokyo's ambitious triple ring road plan. Yet they don't have any bike
parking at my local subway station, and as for trying to bring a bike
onto the subway itself, that is always good for a laugh if you are in
need of one. In short, spending $16 Billion on a 20 km road, yet not
having even a basic cyle lane network, should be a lesson to the world
in how not to plan your city.
	
	I hope these questions can initiate debate
Regards,

Stephen Browne
Pacific Consultants 
Urban and Regional Planning Section
7th floor, Urban square Yokohama
Yokohama-shi
Kanagawa-ku
Sakae-cho,1-1,
Japan 221-0052
Tel : 045 - 451 - 2851  Fax : 045 -450 -2156
email : Stephen.Browne at ss.pacific.co.jp