Are you a sheep?

[Martin Cassini]

Today I received an email from a traffic engineer who wrote: "You simply cannot present a case against signals as you are not a signals expert and do not address all the reasons for them; you generalise and choose to ignore any evidence that they might be suitable at certain locations". Actually, I've always said that signals might be needed at major junctions at peak times, although I add, "but how do we know until we've tried it"? If traffic "experts" ran a system that was efficient, civilised and safe, I might respect them more. But do they enhance our lives by making us stop when it's safe to go, making us compete for gaps and green time, and putting the onus on children to beware motorists when it could and should be the other way round? Too often their interventions are vexatious and counterproductive, revealing an ignorance of human psychology and an under-appreciation of our ability to self-manage and co-operate. There's a clue in the name they give to those unsightly pedestrian refuges in the middle of the road, those islands that fence you in and make you go out of your way to cross. Traffic engineers call them "pens". Yes, to traffic engineers, we are sheep. See also 4 Feb post below, 'The evidence of your own eyes'.