Putting the Brakes on Car Culture

I'm sure I've used that title before!. It's a funny time of year for this, but lots has been reported recently on the trouble with cars. 

Part of it may have started from this video put out by the RCMP, depicting the car fatality issue as if it's equally a problem caused by motorists as pedestrians.

Tom Flood made a much more accurate version, clarifying that the problem isn't 50/50, but that it rests primarily on the shoulders of motorists to be more careful:

As someone who drives, cycles, and walks, I get the problem with people wearing dark clothes at night, particularly cyclists who seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere once your headlights hit the tiny reflectors on their pedals. If cycling at night, it's illegal not to have lights on your bike for very good reason. BUT, we're hearing about more and more kids being hit at crosswalks with crossing guards or traffic lights. Drivers need to pay attention again. We need to get over the idea that we can multitask while wielding a heavy metallic object at high speeds.

After Kelly Oubre Jr. was seriously injured after being hit by a car, one paper asked, 

"If a 6'7" basketball player is hard for a driver to see from behind the wheel of a vehicle, how does anyone else stand a chance?"

Vehicles with a higher vertical front end are a greater risk to pedestrians: 

And NBC looked at how bad road designs add to traffic deaths.

The New York Times discussed the crux of the problems:

"the proliferation of large, dangerous vehicles, the lack of serious traffic enforcement, and an apparent increase in speeding and distracted driving. . . . If cyclists are scofflaws and pedestrians are uniformly distracted by phones, it's not yet showing up in the research. . . . The most dangerous things on our streets are cars and trucks." 

The Conversation also discussed how much we have normalized road violence as, 

"the price we have to pay to use our cars. Globally, car crashes are the world's leading cause of death for people aged five to 25. . . . The huge numbers of deaths and injuries on our roads are a result of choosing to build our society around cars. This degree of harm does not seem to draw the same level of outrage as any other form of violence world. . . . These policies have promoted car-based infrastructure and urban sprawl. Public transport and active transport such as walking and cycling have been neglected. Children are the victims of our obsession with allowing heavy, fast-moving vehicles in our everyday spaces, including around schools. The freedom of car drivers comes at the expense of the freedom of all others. At the same time, the environment and society bear most of the costs of this car culture."

That article further discusses the proposed solutions, like pruning trees and auditing pedestrian crossing or adding stripes to traffic poles, and adding more rules for pedestrians:

"These inconsequential modifications mostly target the potential victims, which highlights our state of denial of the role of cars. It reinforces the privileged position of cars and their drivers - children are the ones who need to be disciplines and reminded to be more alert and careful around cars. It's essentially a form of victim blaming. Instead of reducing the source of violence, we tell everybody to be more careful around it."

They suggest, instead, reducing space allocated to cars, reducing speed limits, and creating disincentives for use. I'd add making public transportation free to encourage more ridership! More specifically, narrowing traffic lanes should be part of any strategy:

Beyond injuries and fatalities, a slower killer is the environmental damage from cars. Car tires, not just the gas burned by cars, is a huge cause of pollution, accounting for over 75% of all microplastics in the oceans, and have been directly implicated in the collapse of coho salmon populations. An electrical vehicle can help reduce some pollution, but, no matter how you slice it, individuals cars are a problem for the environment.

Cycling is my favourite way to get around. It's often faster than driving, and it's good for you too - except when it's unduly dangerous:

And even when there are barriers at all, they're often full of cars!!!!

Even on the sidewalks, arguing that people can just walk around me! 

BUT, like climate change, covid, and conflicts, it really doesn't seem to matter how many people die. We're creatures of habit, and taking precautions for anything is no longer of interest.

ETA: In 1941 automotive engineer Arthur Stevens proposed this redesign to stop vehicles from obscuring the view of the drivers:

And in 1926, in St. Louis, the "Pedestrians Union" agreed that automobiles should not be allowed to drive faster than 15 mph (24 km/h). I can bike that fast!

Some random cartoons on the topic: