Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

The Kindness of Safer Streets

Is this really the best we can do?

Dave Alden at Vibrant Bay Area writes that the above ad from Dignity Health (dignity!) depicting a driver getting out of his car to help a senior avoid being run over in a crosswalk is a pretty skewed notion of “human kindness.”

[I]sn’t there something unkind about forcing the woman to cross the busy street in the first place?

How about if we instead define “humankindness” to include the building of neighborhoods where senior citizens of limited mobility don’t need to cross four-lane streets to do daily shopping? Or if we at least include traffic calming on four-lane streets so the vehicular speed are slowed, making respect for crosswalks more likely? That seems a better standard of “humankindness.”

Of course, more walkable destinations and slower traffic speeds are both part of the urbanist toolkit. I must be hanging out with kind people.

The bitter irony of this ad is that, in reality, good Samaritans who try to help other people in traffic often become victims themselves.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Washington Bikes on what it means to be a “bicycle-friendly” community; Biking Toronto reports on the possibility of new downtown separated bike lanes; and Cap’n Transit wonders why the NYC bus drivers union, now waging war on a traffic safety law, remains silent when it comes to preserving transit service.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Should Wednesday’s Headlines 86 SUVs?

American tax law encourages people to buy the gas-guzzling and deadly vehicles, but some in Canada are pushing to ban them.

April 24, 2024

Brightline West Breaks Ground on Vegas to SoCal High-Speed Rail

Brightline West will be a 218-mile 186-mile-per-hour rail line from Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga — about 40 miles east of downtown L.A. — expected to open in 2028.

April 23, 2024

Tuesday’s Headlines Fix It First

How voters incentivize politicians to ignore infrastructure upkeep. Plus, are hydrogen trains the future of rail or a shiny distraction?

April 23, 2024

Why We Can’t End Violence on Transit With More Police

Are more cops the answer to violence against transit workers, or is it only driving societal tensions that make attacks more frequent?

April 23, 2024
See all posts