On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 10:55:28 GMT, get@no-spam (PC) wrote:
>Besides, it's 6pm on a Friday - show me any peak hour traffic metrics
>that say 6pm on a Friday is the height of peak..
Go stand at the corner of William and Collins Streets in the CBD at
6pm, and you'll discover the true meaning of "the height of peak".
> Just about anybody
>who has a bit of flexibility in their working hours (who are probably
>those who have the kind of high income jobs that involve driving their
>pollution generators to and around the CBD at 6pm) leaves a little
>early on Fridays, so the traffic in and immediately around the CBD at
>6pm should be quite low by most standards..
You're forgetting two things:
(a) the many, many, many office workers that head out for drinkies on
Fridays and therefore end up heading home a little bit later than
usual, and
(b) the utter chaos created by the stupid concept of having 50,000
people coming *in* to the CBD to watch a football game at Docklands
that starts at 7pm.
I have no intention of getting into the for/against CM debate, but the
facts are indisputable as far as what counts for "peak hour" in this
car-congested city :-)
- Anthony
In article <ko2mfvc41bh82o7adqnipua29p4c8r8c6f@no-spam>, Anthony Horan wrote:
> (a) the many, many, many office workers that head out for drinkies on
> Fridays and therefore end up heading home a little bit later than
> usual, and
Then no doubt they'll head home well after CM anyway and hopefully after
drinking, they won't be driving! (Though it's a pitty that trains only
run every half hour after ~8pm).
> (b) the utter chaos created by the stupid concept of having 50,000
> people coming *in* to the CBD to watch a football game at Docklands
> that starts at 7pm.
They can take public transport. It's right opposite a railway station
(surely there aren't 50,000 car parking spaces there anyway?).
--
Jeremy Lunn
Melbourne, Australia
Homepage: http://www.austux.net/
http://www.jabber.org.au/ - the next generation of Instant Messaging.
"PC" <get@no-spam> wrote in message
news:3efe88ca.88624785@no-spam
> >
> >Do you consider bike couriers riding *against* traffic flow, weaving
around
> >cars, an effort to be visible, or an effort to be dead?
>
> No, that's called earning a living.. They are contractors paid by the
> delivery, and if they don't make enough deliveries in a day, they
> can't meet their expenses.. It's an inherent problem with how the
> industry works, but that doesn't stop their customers from using them,
> because it's still the cheapest and fastest way to get their glorified
> packages around town..
So it makes their behaviour ok? Fine, don't complain about the many drivers
behind their wheel in a work capacity behaving in the same manner.
> >I've never hit anyone. I drive in a manner that allows me stop in time,
> >regardless of limit. Part of that involves looking around you and reading
> >the traffic for potential bingles.
>
> It doesn't matter so much that you never have, what matters is the
> risk that you some day will, and the statistics for how many do..
> They're rather depressing actually..
Risk is low, I do a pretty good job looking out for myself.
More depressing are stats for heart disease and cancer. Put road fatalities
into that sort of context, and the number of deaths is really not that
significant.
> I think we've just unlocked the key problem here.. The majority
> behaving a certain way doesn't make it right, it just makes it
> collectively stupid..
No, you're still living under the assumption that what they're doing is
dangerous. The statistics don't support that view.
> >efforst to try and get people to slow to below a speed they feel
comfortable
> >with does more harm than good.
>
> What harm? Is it harmful that it seriously affects your wealth?
Setting speed limits inappropriately reduces compliance rates, and increases
speed differentials. Speed differentials lead to higher accident rates.
Proven. Search usenet (been discussed ad nauseum) or google... plenty of
evidence to show speed enforcement has little tangible effect on road
safety.
> Sure, I know watching the speedo ain't smart, but that shouldn't
> matter.. People should just learn to comfortably drive a little
> slower than they do today, and ignore those behind who insist on
> driving up near or above the limit..
Whys should they when there is no good reason to? There is no proof that
speed enforcement has done anything for the road toll.
> Anyway, making 3-10km/h over a points only or points and small fine
> penalty would help make it safer to keep speed limits low or lower
> them further without causing road users to stare at their speedos..
Rubbish. For those that spend a lot of time on the road for work, 12 points
can go very quickly.... especially when the tolerances are set as low as
they are now (and unlawfully so).
KK