On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:28:21 +0100, Marc Brett
<
[email protected]> wrote:
>On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:48:41 +0200, Ace <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:21:46 +0200, "Erik Sandblom"
>><[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>In general I suspect there is too much separation and too little traffic
>>>calming. In my opinion it's better to calm and reduce than to separate.
>>>This is my New Theory
>>
>>Penalise the car driver and breed more resentment, you mean?
>
>Resentment, reschmentment. They should learn to control their temper.
Unfortunately refusing to accept reality doesn't help either. Measures
that are seen by drivers as inconvenient at their expense in favour of
cyclists will no encourage them to feel friendly towards them. This in
turn will lead to more aggression on the part of the driver and
correspondingly reduced safety for cyclists.
>>I've never worked out why it's _so_ different in the UK, apart from
>>the fact that perhaps a much lower proportion of drivers are, or have
>>been, cyclists too, but it's these 'cutural' issues that need to be
>>worked on, in my opinion, not more traffic rules.
>
>Maybe it's the legal environment. Maybe the Swiss and French laws work
>to positively discriminate in favour of the vulnerable, in contrast to
>the UK approach which champions innocent until proven guilty?
No, I don't think they do. And I'm certain that no fear of the law is
going to encourage drivers to be polite and considerate to other road
users, which is what I see demonstrated in practice.
I'm a frequent driver, motorcyclist, cyclist and pedestrian in both
countries, which show some equally obvious cultural differences
between them. For example, a Swiss pedestrian _knows_ that cars will
stop for them on a zebra crossing, and therefore doesn't feel the need
to check for oncoming traffic. The driver learns to expect this
behaviour and therefore ensures that he checks crossings carefully
when approaching them.
This is not due to any legal differences, as in both countries, as in
the UK, a zebra crossing user will always have the right of way, but
somehow it's just become accepted that peds will exercise their rights
and that wheeled vehicles will stop.
So it's clearly a difference in culture; in this case, I think it's
more of a respect for regulation, rather than a fear of the
consequences. As has been said before, the Swiss are very much like
the Germans but without the German's reckless disregard for authority.
But whatever the reasons, it seems to be very safe for all road users.