Comment 72997

By Lakeside (registered) | Posted January 12, 2012 at 12:34:13 in reply to Comment 72977

Capitalist, you make a good point about how two-way traffic can increase pedestrian safety.

I'd like to add that it's not just the illumination provided by two-directional headlights, but also the eyes of all of those drivers that can enhance the safety of those on the sidewalks.

I would bet that almost every driver traveling along these streets is likely to have a cellphone with them.

While it's been said that being insulated from the world while inside a car can serve to disconnect one from the world around them, there may also be a benefit to this in some situations.

You hear of many car drivers (who are often characterized as being selfishly indifferent) using their phones to call-in incidents they witness while driving, from to drunk drivers to street robberies. (Dare I say that perhaps the protective shell of their vehicle might help give them the courage to make that call?)

One-way traffic patterns induce a massive wave of high-speed traffic followed by an empty street, while two-way traffic produces a situation where there is a generally constant flow of low-level traffic, coming from both directions.

The result is that there is almost nowhere to hide. And the near-constant flow of slower moving traffic means that someone is always there to bear witness to whatever might be happening on the sidewalks, and in doorways.

Even in low traffic, as a bad guy you never know when traffic will come along bringing with it these lights, eyes, and phones. As a pedestrian, you know that you're never really alone for more than a moment.

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