JRobinson wrote:You could turn off all traffic lights during the day, and the streets would become a lot safer (especially after the first few days when the craxy idiots have all had accidents)
This is probably true for the occupants of motor vehicles. But the environment would be a lot worse for vulnerable road users. The main problem we have is not the phasing of the lights but the fact there are too many people trying to make too many journeys by car.
JRobinson wrote:and traffic flow is in general improved
Usually by "traffic flow" planners mean "motor vehicle flow". Our priorities in towns and cities are all wrong.
Ah loud music. I was involved in some research looking at the phenomenon when I was in graduate school in New York City. Turns out that it is usually a sign that the individual playing very loud music may feel the need to declare space as their own. It is, sort of, marking territory. It is often a response of feeling a lack of power or status.
Yes, I've never understood that noise = status/territory thing. Someone can be driving a top-end car, which you'd think was status enough, yet have the windows down even in blasting heat (i.e. air con bypassed). That's almost masochism when you're queueing in a hot tin box, or maybe the driver needs a hearing aid
It's been very quiet lately on my queuing-traffic road. Well it would be with school and summer hols. For some reason, I always think October is the worst month. Hope they get the Syd Road phasing sorted out before then.
As a PS, I love Admin's report (link) that some can hack into traffic lights to get an all green route. I'm sure I'll figure that out as soon as I learn how to work the proverbial video recorder
Interesting Coll but marking territory as a way of reacting against low status and a feeling of lack of power is, in my opinion, more appropriate to explain the attempts to reintegrate a former outcasted section of the population (slaves) into mainstream citizenship, as in the case of the USA- and, therefore, the attitude of the blaring noise could be seen in the context of a reaction against a history of (real) alienation. As a consequence, the concept of the ghetto blaster came into being. However, in London's context, and specifically Sydenham's, I was wondering about the reason for such behaviour, for it doesnt appear to follow such stereotypical patterns. For instance, from what I have observed, the people driving these cars do not appear to adhere to any one classification grouping whether ethnic,cultural, racial or socio economic. Has the British class system produced it?
