Put Pedestrians First
Originally posted by Peter Inson at 06:01, May 12 2013
On May 8th a correspondent to The TimesToday’s suggests that only a quarter of primary school children are allowed to walk to school, then goes on to remind us of the extent of adult obesity and the dominance of motor traffic in our towns. It is not difficult to see, even in villages, the extent to which roads around primary schools are completely blocked by parents’ cars at certain times.
This complicated log-jam, of unfit people, the environmentally harmful driving of short distances, of young people who have never used the roads and who, as adults are too frightened to use the roads except within the confines of a specially protected metal box, requires a substantial kick-start.
Why do we not require able-bodied applicants for provisional driving licences to show that they have passed a cycling proficiency test?
To pass such a test would require applicants to discover that, in town, a bike is a very convenient means of getting about and is as quick as a car, to have encountered and possibly appreciated physical exercise, and to have experienced being a potential victim. No doubt some parents of teenagers taking their chance on dangerous roads would scream blue murder, but that would simply help to shift public sentiment against those who drive without due care and consideration for others.
Until we read of queues of motorists being wiped out by rogue pedestrians we must continue our efforts to unjam this madness on and around our roads.