On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 4:25 PM, Hans Noeldner<[email protected]> wrote: > Another part of the problem is how we speak. We say, "That road isn't safe" > rather than "The behaviors of some/many/most motorists on that road is > unsafe". We are a culture that is lethally addicted to externalizing > causality and responsibility.
I think this is very good point, and one I try to remember in my oral and written communications. The road is an inanimate object that does not DO anything except lie there. The people that use the road, whether as pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, car drivers, or any other users of the roadway are the ones that make using the roadway either easy or difficult. The same can be said of using the words "cars" or "bicycles" as if they represent the actions of the people using those vehicles. We need to start emphasizing that people control these vehicles, and people make the decision how the vehicles operate, and the operator will yield to another user, obey traffic laws, etc. This is not to say that engineering is to be completely forgotten. Having a very wide roadway, with a fast speed limit and short crossing lights makes walking across that roadway difficult. Wide travel lanes and long sight lines encourage a behavior - speeding - that discourages safe use by others. Painted crosswalks, bike lanes, and lane markings give clues to safe operation and remind drivers to watch out for other users. But it's still the human beings that are ultimately responsible for operating their vehicles or their feet. Let's make sure that responsibility is foremost in everyone's mind. (Also, it may help our discussions if we remind each other and decision makers that bicyclists, car drivers, transit users, and pedestrians are rarely exclusive groups. Too often I get the feeling that people don't realize that people who ride bikes usually also drive, just less often, so the behavior when using one mode may reflect the behavior when using another mode. And we are all the same community, so let's talk about people and their behaviors, not the vehicle.) Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
