tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post2813683387519144657..comments2024-03-07T20:05:33.349+00:00Comments on Urban policy and practice: Child murderDr Peter Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06308785385644187726noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post-6846891220128855382011-12-09T12:04:26.099+00:002011-12-09T12:04:26.099+00:00And an interesting take on a similar theme: http:/...And an interesting take on a similar theme: http://www.citycycling.co.uk/Issue8/Ghost.htmlDr Peter Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308785385644187726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post-81470963128748419012011-12-06T13:55:55.554+00:002011-12-06T13:55:55.554+00:00Of course in this country rather that getting chan...Of course in this country rather that getting changes in law and infrastructure to make our roads safer, our Government prefers the <a href="http://www.kimharding.net/blog/?p=1407" rel="nofollow">Taliban approach to road safety</a>. After all it is easier to blame the victim that to challenge the libertarian attitudes of the motoring lobby.Kimhttp://kimharding.net/blog/?cat=9noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post-32678361924832625192011-12-06T11:47:14.047+00:002011-12-06T11:47:14.047+00:00David - thanks very much for that, really interest...David - thanks very much for that, really interesting to read. I hadn't realised Stop De Kindermoord were a campaigning organisation, but that all makes sense now and I can see why they were so successful in changing public discourses.<br /><br />The stats on road deaths are very interesting too.Dr Peter Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308785385644187726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post-23193846474861341822011-12-05T22:37:12.462+00:002011-12-05T22:37:12.462+00:00Mark Wagenbuur made the video you featured. We sha...Mark Wagenbuur made the video you featured. We share a blog, and <a href="http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-dutch-got-their-cycling.html" rel="nofollow">here is the blog post which goes with the video</a>.<br /><br />A few months before this, I wrote <a href="http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2011/01/stop-child-murder.html" rel="nofollow">a blog post about the Stop the Child Murder protests</a>. If you've not seen it before, you may find it interesting.David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post-56705345705345259892011-12-05T18:48:53.764+00:002011-12-05T18:48:53.764+00:00Drivers kill not the cars - the cars are their wea...Drivers kill not the cars - the cars are their weapon of choice. People also choose knives and guns and use these to kill. <br /><br />Because guns are so dangerous a licence is required to won one and there is a presumed liability on the owner of a gun should any person be killed or injured by the use of that gun. Weigh up the toll of deaths and serious injuries caused by someone misusing a gun, and compare with the toll from misuse of cars. Clearly we have a skewed balance of priorities when people can roam the land with such dangerous weapons and such weak controls on the use of them.<br /><br />It is not just on the carriageways that the danger lurks. Just check how many are killed when walking on a footway, yet no one is taken to task for this commonly committed offence (just count up the number of cars, vans and trucks parked on footways on which they have been driven. Deaths, hundreds of daily offences committed by drivers but the hue & cry is after cyclists - hardly justified by the death toll (around 1 death every 3 years) and an insignificant count compared to the number of car drivers breaking the same law (HA 1835 s.72)DHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post-8907384839306279712011-12-05T17:52:02.560+00:002011-12-05T17:52:02.560+00:00It's a difficult thing - I used to think that ...It's a difficult thing - I used to think that big 4x4 drivers were selfish and irresponsible, for example, because hitting a kid (or any brand of human for that matter) with their bull bars IS murder. They're not walking away from that accident.<br /><br />However, Neal's mum will now not drive anything else after his dad had an accident in a "normal" car, rolled it, and the entire back was crushed. Had their kids been in the car, they would have died. As a result of that she feels safer in a bigger car and would feel irresponsible putting her family in anything else.<br /><br />As you say about the school run, people want to keep their own kids safe even if it puts other people (and their kids) at risk. Now, as a parent myself, I fully appreciate it where I previously didn't as much.<br /><br />Every time I see a cyclist I panic a bit. You've got to be bloody brave to cycle on an actual road with actual people in actual cars.Erica @impeushttp://impeus.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post-26385091078904201812011-12-05T16:39:01.723+00:002011-12-05T16:39:01.723+00:00I agree - that dangerous drivers are allowed on th...I agree - that dangerous drivers are allowed on the road is shocking.<br /><br />But this is also self-sustaining. I don't blame people for relying on their cars given how bloody dangerous the roads are in the first place!Dr Peter Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308785385644187726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8647966782809031279.post-11697376601340668692011-12-05T14:44:51.184+00:002011-12-05T14:44:51.184+00:00A very large part of this problem is that there is...A very large part of this problem is that there is an increasing attitude that people "rely" on their cars and that this has become a right to drive. Where in actual fact we only allow people to drive under licence, but then if they <a href="http://www.kimharding.net/blog/?p=1666" rel="nofollow"><br />break the trust we give them with this licence what happens</a>?Kimhttp://kimharding.net/blog/?cat=9noreply@blogger.com