Traffic Life : Passionate Tales and Exit Strategies
Edited by Stephan Wehner
An Anthology
 
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iv CONTENTS Copyright Acknowledgements 253
  
Foreword Transportation professionals often talk about the four 'E's' of traffic-engineering, education, enforcement, and encour- agement. All four aspects are needed to have a transporta- tion system that works effectively. But what happens when our infrastructure is skewed towards the driver at the ex- pense of the pedestrian? What happens when drivers never learn the crosswalk laws? What happens when driving laws are seldom enforced? And what happens when pedestrians are only encouraged to get out of the way? 'E' could be the grade we give the resulting environment. Put a kind and considerate human being behind the wheel of an automobile in this environment, and an ugly transformation takes place. The kindergarten wisdom of taking turns and following rules goes out the tailpipe. The horn is preferred to the brake pedal. People in other cars are competitors for your space. People outside of cars are an obstruction and a nuisance. Just as importantly, people who don't drive become less worthy. Americans are all too familiar with this driving culture. The current generations grew up immersed in it. Cruising the strip was the central part of life in 'American Graffiti', and in a thousand other movies. It is repeated every hour of every day in thirty second increments, thanks to the billion dollar advertising budgets of the automobile industry. Suppose we could break free from the windshield per- spective. Imagine for a minute 'American Graffiti' with the teenagers on Schwinns. Imagine them strolling on foot along the Ramblas in Barcelona, or between sidewalk cafes ­ v ­

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