[*BCM*] BTD PED Rules

[Andrew Toomajian]

Turtle, you're awesoeme.  Thanks for your thoughts.____________________________________________________________________________________________________"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."    - James Baldwin  ________________________________________________________________________ Andy Toomajian  /  617.529.6204 mobile  /  10 Indiana Ave.  Somerville, MA Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2007 18:09:23 -0400From: turtle at thewiseturtle.comTo: list at bostoncriticalmass.orgSubject: Re: [*BCM*] BTD PED RulesOuch.Yep, we do loathe humanity, don't we?  I wonder what rights robots have on the streets.  Or cyborgs.  I wouldn't mind getting rid of this silly body of mine and sticking my brain in something more effecient (I'd want to be powered by wind and solar energy, of course).  If I got wheels installed in my cyborg feet, I bet I'd have the right to use the travel lanes.
Also, it's no wonder "modern" Bostonian communities are so unfriendly, people are too intimidated to cross the street to chat with their neighbors.  Either that, or they are walking up to a tenth of a mile out of their way (600 feet) to do it (which is great for getting exercise, but not so great for encouraging neighborly friendships).
I have a vision of healthy, thriving, respecful, and efficient streets.  Let's get rid of the messy, segregated, and anti-social public ways we have now, take out all the confusing and discriminatory signs and laws, and make people responsible for their own behavior.  I think we only need a few actual laws, and they would apply to ALL travelers (on foot, wheels, hovercraft, hooves, skis, etc.).  Off the top of my head, I'd say the following 6 laws would do a pretty good job: 
1. Don't harm or endanger anyone or anything, intentionally or out of negligence. 2. Stay on the right side of the travel way when traveling, except when passing or turning.3. Move out of the travel lane when you intend to stop traveling - no stopping in the travel lane except when yielding to other travelers or for emergency purposes.
4. Move at or below a speed at which you can stop without hitting anyone or anything that is in front of you.5. Pass only when it is safe to do so.  6. If you are involved in a crash you are responsible for reporting it to
the police and will be required to participate in the mediation process to determine compensation for any damage, injuries, or
trauma caused in the crash, unless everyone involved signs a waiver stating that they don't feel the need for mediation).  If you fail to report a crash you were involved in (within
some specified time period, maybe a month) you forfeit all claims for
compensation arising from the incident.Mediation for crashes would favor the individual who was most harmed by the crash (unless there was clear evidence that they were trying to get hit), so larger vehicles and faster vehicles would be more likely to bear the brunt of the costs affiliated with the crash.  This policy would encourage smaller, safer, and slower traffic that moves as efficiently as possible - a win-win solution.
There might be some special regulations for more dangerous vehicles (cars, trucks, airplanes, etc.), and there might still be room for a few segregated travel ways (for trains, buses, and/or trucks, to offer priority through ways for long distance travel and shipping).  And roundabouts would be more common, to make intersections more efficient and safe.  But generally, those 6 laws would be all we'd need for healthy traffic flow for everyone.
It works with human nature, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch for most folks.  And robots and cyborgs would be able to get where they want to go too, which is probably something that we'll need to deal with pretty soon anyway.
-Turtlewho works with 4 year olds who already know how to travel efficiently and safely around others, and don't need signs or laws to get around perfectly well

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