[sustran] Re: Pelicans and puffings - thanks!

[Ian Perry]

How do the English English names, Pelican Crossing, Puffin Crossing and
Chicken Crossing, and are known to millions of people in the UK and India,
cause so much upset on this forum?

The original question referred to the possibility of installing pelican
crossings (pedestrian crossings on streets, controlled by traffic lights) in
Hyderabad, India.

I live in a wonderful UK city where there are traffic lights, many with
pedestrian crossing facilities on almost every street.  I watch people live
their lives sat stationary in cars waiting for it to be their turn to drive
their car past the green light as fast as possible.  Only sometimes does
this result in an "accident".

Meanwhile, pedestrians don't want to walk to the nearest crossing, but cross
where they are, taking the shortest route - even if this means climbing over
guardrails.  If pedestrians do use the crossings with traffic lights, often
they cross before the green light is shown to them.  So England and the rest
of the UK has spent millions of pounds on pedestrian lights that people
don't use!  Even Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has realised
the folly of having so many traffic lights!

In the Netherlands and UK, we are spending money to remove pedestrian
crossings and other sets of traffic lights - so is it so wrong of me to
suggest denying pedestrian crossings with traffic lights to those in
countries that have not realised for themselves the perils of such expensive
technological solutions to traffic?

Traffic lights treat the symptoms of the chaos on our streets, and not the
causes.  The causes include the inappropriate vehicles we are using - and
the expectation that people should use them to access services and
facilities.

In most parts of the world people do mostly obey traffic lights, though the
colour blind, tired and distracted sometimes fail to stop, hitting those who
assumed that they could use the junction safely due to a green light in
their direction.  This is not the case in all places, including Italy and
Spain!  Motorists in these countries frequently ignore traffic lights -
rather like Parisian motorists ignore the existence of pedestrians on marked
pedestrian crossings - at least that was my perception.

What India has (minus the rubbish/garbage/trash) is what many in Europe want
our streets to be like.  Would these roadsides be cleaner if it was not for
the traffic making the space uncomfortable for people?

Rather than make Hyderabad resemble LA - just as peak oil arrives, and most
of the word realise that LA is a mistake...  better solutions are required.


>From what I've seen of Hyderabad on YouTube...  Would narrowing the
carriageways and removing larger vehicles be possible?  Larger vehicles
include larger private vehicles, goods vehicles and buses...  Buses kill too
many people, especially in India!  Trams are much safer, as their movement
is predictable... and trams can carry goods.  Smaller goods vehicles or
restricting goods vehicles to certain times could be an option - and freight
consolidation could work in India?

Traffic lights and restricting pedestrians to specified crossings are not
the answer - pedestrians have the right to the whole street - and this means
crossing where it is convenient for them - otherwise they'll get into a car
instead...

"Jay" walking is a good activity - though I know this will upset some
people!



Best wishes to all

Ian Perry