Solving traffic problems
There are a lot of ideas flaoting around to solve traffic problems, and as a London cyclist I approve of any that will work, upto and including arming cyclists. (I always wanted a motorbike like "streethawk" - firing missiles at the flick of a switch. Now put that on my raleigh chopper and I am a happy man)Anyway, traffic. I think you can divide the suggestions into "against common sense", "with common sense" and "streethawk".
Against common sense seems to be what we get offered from government, usually another raillink or some more traffic wardens or cameras.
I am making an assumption - if everyone drove steadily at or below the speed limit, traffic congestion would ease.
So if there was a police car driving steadily down every road, no one would pass him, and everyone would get to their destinations easily.
Ok rpelace the cop with a flood of video cameras - you drive in the sure knowledge that any speeding infraction gets an automatic fine, on any road, not merely the brake /aceelrate driving of the current setup where people pass speed cameras at the right pace then speed up.
WHat if we replace the cost of that with customer supplied costs - put an ipod / camera on the back of your rear-view mirror. WHen the idiot in front of you nearly kills you both, you click the button and the last 30 seconds of video is captured, uploaded to Worstdriverinthecountry.com, and their numberplate is ranked with all the other terrible drivers. A sort of youtube for raod safety.
I am not sure that thecoming surveillance society is one I want to see, but as I am not going to avoid it - let us alt least make it a citizens democracy.
posted by paul @ 11:53 AM
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