[*BCM*] BTD PED Rules

[Jim Leonard]

On Tue, Jun 05, 2007 at 08:32:35AM -0400, Turtle wrote:
> Again, I think I'm probably not being clear anough here for you to be able
> to see the awesomeness of my plan :-)

<smiles/>
I really do think that your plan would work in certain sets of areas.  I
just don't see it as the panacea you make it out to be.

> In my vision, there would be the same amount of space on roadways as there
> is now, so there would be no more traffic congestion than there is now.  In
> fact, it would be very likely that there would be far less congestion, since
> traffic would be able to flow at a more natural pace.  Yes, people would
> still be stopping or slowing down for other traffic and cross-traffic, but
> people would only need to do this where there was actual traffic, rather
> than being artificially forced to stop at arbitrary intersections for an
> arbitrary amount of time at red lights and stop signs, even when there is no
> cross-traffic.  In other words, traffic would flow when it could, not when
> some computer or law said it could flow.  (Which is what I meant when I said
> that my self-regulating laws would be better than the one-size-fits-all laws
> that we have now.)

I would accept treating red lights as a stop sign, but needing to approach
every intersection as though a yield sign existed would drastically slow
down traffic on anything like a main thoroughfare.

> 
> The only significant differences in my visionary plan would be that the
> different modes of through-travel would be integrated (rather than
> segregated), no one would be legally discriminated against (for choosing a
> sustainable form of transportation like walking, biking, skateboarding,
> etc.), and everyone would be very clear about what their rights and
> responsibilities were in sharing the road.

but still, as a pedestrian, I _want_ to be segregated from automobile
traffic.  Not just for safety reasons but also for comfort reasons.
I do not wish to be walking in the gutters, nor walking in the grey
soup that the roads become when it snows.  Non pedestrian traffic is
filthy relatively speaking.

> 
> (And just to clarify, the sightlines would be as good or better than they
> are now.)