Re: Law-abiding majority 'is a myth'

Ian Smith wrote:
On Thu, 28 Jun 2007, Matt B <"matt.bourke"@nospam.london.com> wrote:
Ian Smith wrote:
On Thu, 28 Jun 2007, Matt B <"matt.bourke"@nospam.london.com> wrote:

Have you ever been to Seven Dials in Covent Garden? Take away their automatic priority and clear right-of-way, and they behave like most "large and powerful" men would do when "negotiating" the passage through a narrow shop door with a small, frail, old lady coming the other way.
Have you ever been to Leatherhead High Street?
They don't behave as you imagine.
It's pedestrianised isn't it?

Not any more. 'They' pedestrianised it, but then decided to let motor vehicles in for significant parts of the day, after having removed all road markings, kerbs etc.

So it _is_ pedestrianised, for most of the working day anyway. They've opened it again in the evenings, to try and get some life back into the town, after it completely died with no through traffic, but haven't provided adequately for parking? So motorists aren't really equal partners are they. That is one of the fundamental requirements of a working system - all users have equal priorities - no discrimination.

So now the cars drive wherever they like, park blocking entrances, park such that push-chairs don't fit between the buildings and parked cars, and a significant proportion of the traffic going up the middle gets shirty at pedestrians (even ones with pushchairs that don't fit anywhere else) who don't dive out of the way as they approach.

So now they've got the worst of both worlds. A street designed as a pedestrian only street, but with cars allowed access at certaain times - but without proper account taken for their parking needs etc.

I have been aggressively hooted at (as in, hand held down on the horn continuously) for not disappearing at the approach of a car.

Were you "accidentally" blocking the way for an extended period, when you could have stood to one side for a moment to let it squeeze past?

I used to be able to let my daughter run ahead and do what she wanted on the High St. That is no longer safe enough to permit. My younger daughter has never experienced that freedom.

They need to design it for "all mode" use, and abolish the time restrictions and provide ample and convenient parking. I'm sure you know that though.

I've just seen on the BBC, that it was recently voted as one of the worst town centres in the country. One voter saying "an example of cheap and thoughtless pedestrianisation taking the heart out of a whole town".

And from Hansard "Leatherhead pedestrianised the whole high street; since then the centre has virtually died. Indeed, the council is now looking at ways of bringing cars back into it."

Mmmm nice.

--
Matt B
.

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