11 October (Part 1) - From Lord Hore-Belisha to Lord Haw Haw
On reflection Bexley Council’s Highways Manager’s fascinating assertion that the average Zebra in the borough sees
2·5 rear
end shunts for every pedestrian involved in an accident on a crossing is an even bigger nonsense than
I believed yesterday.
Leaving aside the fact that a car impacting a pedestrian might have very serious
consequences and a rear end shunt will most likely only bend a couple of bumpers
it is not even comparing like with like.
What Andrew Bashford should be doing is looking at the pedestrian accidents that
would have occurred if the Zebra wasn’t there. A difficult comparison to make
perhaps but his statistic with which he hopes to fool the gullible
i.e. Councillors, is totally
worthless. If his was a sensible viewpoint Zebras would be being withdrawn
country-wide.
Maybe the comparison should be between the total number of pedestrian accidents in the
borough and the total rear end shunts. Which exceeds the other? But it would
still be a nonsense unless you think a bit of scuffed paint is as calamitous as crushed bones.
But then pretty well everything road related in Bexley is a nonsense. Several
impossible to navigate roundabouts. Abbey Road too narrow for buses to pass each
other. Pedestrian controlled traffic lights at all new roundabouts which lull
drivers into believing they have right of way when green and which can block all
four roads when red. The narrowed exit at
the northern end of Penhill Road which
causes an unnecessary polluting queue. The 20 m.p.h. limits on unpopulated dual
carriageways. The unexplained
nonsense in Bowness Road.
Idiocy almost everywhere you look.
If you read through the Penhill Road comment you will see that Bexley Council
was arguing that you cannot put pedestrian crossings adjacent to roundabouts.
They have a different lie with which to support every bad decision.