http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/39Ban-drivers-from-residential-roads.6672883.jp
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
"Ban drivers from residential roads to keep children safe"
(9 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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In theory it's utopia.
In practice, people need to move around and making it harder for that to happen just moves problems elsewhere.
Some streets, say Heriot Row, Raeburn Place, Ferry Road, all major/needed thoroughfares but also residential.
Posted 13 years ago # -
All it would seem to do is widen the pavements, bring the 2 walls of parked cars closer together and pinch the moving vehicles in the middle closer together. I'm sure that doesn't promote safety.
Perhaps tarmac roads aren't the best place for children to play? After all, there are cars on them, and usually 2 walls of parked cars down either side obscuring the line of sight between driver and pedestrian (particularly knee-high ones). Regardless of whether they are residents cars or cars passing through on a commute or their way to the shops, they are equally capable of being driven in an idiotic and child-unfriendly manner.
Perhaps if there's money to be spent doubling the widths of pavements around town and keeping the street-sign manufacturers occupied it could be instead redirected to more child-friendly schemes like skate parks (they seem popular), cycle paths (give the nippers a bit of freedom, keep them out of our dangerous traffic) and maybe even 20mph zones (although that requires a minor concession to the street-sign brigade).
Posted 13 years ago # -
Did the Marchmont car pool thing never take off? I would like to only have access to a car when I needed it for long journeys, not poss on public transport or journeys with many people? But I don't like cars. Different people like to have instant access to their vehicles, bit like me and my bike. But I would vote for banning cars from side streets and people walking to a car pool, I imagine that platform would get one vote [from me]. Many years ago an interesting lad stood for election as head boy of Currie High School on the Banana Man ticcket. His platform was a free banana for every student each day. I freely admit if I had a vote he would then have received two votes.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Perhaps we could start by banning drivers from the pavements.
Round here (Craiglockhart) it's become common for cars to be parked on the pavement, often right across it. When challenged, the risk of damage from fast-moving through traffic is given as a reason for not parking at the kerb. Of course pavement parking just facilitates fast rat-running....
Which brings me to enforcement. Parking on the pavement is not enforced by wardens; they only do yellow lines etc for some reason. The police are, understandably, otherwise engaged. So banning traffic from residential streets would fail for the same reason speed limits in residential streets fail: lack of enforcement.
Perhaps some kind of barrier to make the route too slow for through traffic would be the answer....
Posted 13 years ago # -
One of the proposed measures is to reduce the speed limit to 20mph on residential roads which is something Edinburgh council is looking at. A Department of Transport report on a similar scheme in Portsmouth suggests it might help protect vulnerable road users: http://bit.ly/hSUBGA.
Posted 13 years ago # -
needs to be 20mph on all side streets in the neighbourhood, also needs to be enforced
Posted 13 years ago # -
Yes this is good idea. I would like to see more side roads blocked off for cars but through routes for cycles and pedestrians.
We're forever being told that children are too soft, too fat, too unadventurous but we're also told that they shouldn't be allowed out around traffic on their own under the age of 8.
Skate parks and the like are fine for older kids, but younger ones need to be able to play close to home.Posted 13 years ago # -
blocking streets is eminently more preferrable than the suggestion of just widening pavements. Not only is it cheaper, but it actually removes the ability to use it for rat running.
Still doesn't deal with the fundamental problem of most side streets being car parks first, children's playgrounds second.
Posted 13 years ago #
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