Signs everywhere

[OddSox]

An interesting read - although focussed on America it also applies here...

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/traffic

 

[Gentle Ben]

Yes, interesting, Ive been to Britain so I can relate, and I agree that round abouts would be safer, after we took several years to get used to them.

 

[ig-88]

Yes, interesting, Ive been to Britain so I can relate, and I agree that round abouts would be safer, after we took several years to get used to them.

Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament
Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament
Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament
Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament
Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament

-- National Lampoon's European Vacation

 

[LancsLad]

Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament
Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament
Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament
Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament
Look kids! Big Ben ... Parliament

-- National Lampoon's European Vacation

Thats classic stuff and if you have ever been caught on a round about during heavy traffic, it's something everyone can relate to.



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[buttercup]

The guy has a good point, that many road rules have an opposite effect to what was intended. Speed bumps, for instance. If they really did have the effect of reducing the number of kids struck by cars in residential streets, they wouldn't be opposed so vigorously. But when they put bumps in, the accident rate goes UP! Probably because drivers are paying to much attention to the bumps.

A lot of road rules are more a celebration of petty government's power to affect people.

 

[basketcase]

There are a couple wierd intersections around Young/Eg where they have a strange amalgam of roundabouts, speed bumps, and stop signs. They don't have room for an actual roundabout but the wealthy community members obviously don't like the rest of us using their streets and the European feel they give must make them feel special.

 

[S.C. Joe]

I've been to Europe where they use round abouts and it wouldn't work here. We have far more traffic than they do for one thing. In addition, they suck up space like you wouldn't believe and room is something we no longer have in our cities.

We just got a few by my town---they STINK. Everybody STOPS--they don't Yleid and try to merge with the traffic--after all, its moving at 30 km/h--it be too risky to merge in So traffic lines up until theres a big opening.

The blind people are suing too--like theres 3 or 4 here, lol. They claim they can not cross the street like before.

They might be safer but heck I know if they were everywhere around here--closer to Detroit--there be 1 accident-minor-after another...in my town people lease their $40,000 cars and are very careful not to get 1 ticket ever--in some areas where people OWN their $2,000 cars, ha ha--it never work.

Besides it even slow down the police cars going to the many shootings happening, lol. We have very few shootings or crime here.

 

[S.C. Joe]

Also taxes are higher in Europe than the USA--think gasoline. The USA gets lots of $$$ from traffic tickets--which is why the police make rolling though a stop sign without coming to a full stop a big deal--not safety but to bring the money in.

Stop signs do waste gas--we have some just to slow down traffic it seems--theres no cross traffic 99% of the time--those are the stop signs the police watch too--not the busy intersetions.

Europe has speed cameras thou--he didn't talk about that--and they send you a ticket for just a few km/h over the limit...if nobody sped--like in Europe--they can't or they get many tickets and can't drive anymore-that too would lower traffic deaths. In Europe they scan everybodys plates and check if it shows the owner has no drivers license.


It comes down to money and taxes...if there was few traffic tickets, gasoline would need to be tax much higher--nobody wants that, so this is what Canada and the USA has. Many unneeded traffic signs so the police can write many traffic tickets,