Relationships between People and Traffic - Essay Example

Relationships between People and Traffic of the of the Relationships between People and Traffic Q. Compare and contrast two views of how the relationships between people and traffic are ordered. Introduction True or not, it has often been said that one can judge a nation’s sense of discipline if one looks at their road behavior. The habit of forming queues and lines, waiting one’s turn patiently, and even refraining from blowing the vehicle’s horn except in cases of emergency, are all hallmarks of an ordered society, used to obeying the law and conscious of each other’s rights and place in the social construct of the city. In this paper, we shall study the actions and significance of two social scientists and traffic expert engineers who dealt with the problem of traffic congestion in cities is a very different though effective way. The first named Colin Buchanan was given the responsibility to revise and oversee plans for vehicular traffic on London streets in the 1960s once it became clear that roads and motor car transportation were to become the more easily affordable and dominant mode of movement along roads and streets. The second named Hans Monderman was a Dutch engineer who in the 1980s in Scandinavia floated the novel idea of individual and social order as a means of inherently regulating traffic flow and behavior on the roads. If the first initiative sought to design roads and public spaces to separate and demarcate the areas for vehicular and pedestrian use, the second put the onus of proper and judicious use of the road on our inbuilt sense of justice and order and the ability to consciously recognize everyone’s rights and duties without causing a major traffic jam. Revolutionary though it may sound, the idea has worked in Denmark like a charm and appeals to the public’s inherent sense of order and composure there (Silva, 2009, 334). Governance and the Imposition of Social Sense We shall start from the very beginning. Where does a sense of social order come from, one might wonder? Historians and social scientists alike are likely to point out a variety of sources, alluding to different anecdotes and examples to prove their point. For example, it is thought that Napoleon was left handed and preferred his armies to be on the right; furthermore, the French’s insistence on using the right hand for driving could very likely be a reaction to rejecting the social order of their traditional enemies, the British across the English Channel (Silva, 2009, 312). Whether either of these stories is true or not, the fact remains that the French use the right hand side of the road for driving while the British use the left. The same rule has been adopted wherever the British and the French established colonies, as in some African and Asian nations. Even the language of choice or the second language in these countries reflects the colonial influence. This shows that social order can be imposed on a population by will or by choice- should the vanquished want to adopt it to reap the benefits of being able to communicate and be understood better by their victors. It is no coincidence that both Gandhi and Jinnah, the architects of the breakup of undivided India into Pakistan and Bharat were both lawyers, both educated abroad (the first in South Africa and the second in London), and both seeking to curry British favors in respect of the goal of partition. It is interesting but nevertheless true that colonies dominated by the British should have left hand driving rules as opposed to colonies dominated by the French with their insistence on right hand driving rules- in fact most of the world follows right hand driving rules with the left handed ones being a minority. But for one who moves from a right handed rule nation to one in the left zone, it can take a lot of getting used to and lead to chaos and panic with some disastrous consequences. That’s why a lot of British drivers fear and loathe driving in France! On the other hand, the cost to re-educate citizens and revamp the whole traffic systems with its rules, regulations and everything from traffic signal placements to speed bumps and other road obstructions and obstacles would entail a cost that the British Government considers stratospheric- so the left hand rule stays for the present (Silva, 2009, 313). But coming back to our question about the origins of civic sense and order, we can observe that it is all about the environment we grow up in. Man after all is a social animal and must conform to the rules of the society that he grows up in. The rules in any particular society are given by the ultimate ruler or monarch- as in the democratically elected UK Government- to the administrative arm that is concerned with the regulation of traffic on the roads and the prevention of accidents, mishaps and loss of life and property owing to bad road behavior. We have a mass of traffic rules and regulations, road signs and road etiquette that are traditionally followed and respected all through the United Kingdom. In case of disrespect for the rules, or traffic violations, the perpetrator is usually fined or brought to justice through the Courts. In cases of repeated and serious violations, one can even be incarcerated with the driving license revoked for a certain period. There is no denying the fact that order is what makes social life possible. Differing Approaches to the Problem of Traffic Congestion Social order is all about how the members of the public behave in shared spaces. If we look at the problem of reducing traffic congestion on the streets and roads of London proper as in Milton Keynes for instance, it is a common enough problem that has been faced with by every developing city and metropolis- from New York to Los Angeles to Brasilia (Silva, 2009, 330). What is important to note that the Buchanan Report and Monderman’s thesis were adopted at very different times with widely differing points of view about how to handle traffic congestion. Their suggestions for order reflect not only their own personalities and values but also the prevailing attitudes of the times. Due to traffic congestion problems in the 1960s, the British Government and the Ministry of Transport in the UK needed to react to the anticipated increases in the volume of road traffic as the car became the dominant mode of transport within the cities. The Buchanan Report was based on a certain forecast (Silva, 2009, 326) and recommended that traffic corridors and other pathways be established so that the flow of traffic continued unimpeded at most times. It also recommended demarcation of the street into pedestrian and vehicle areas through zebra crossings, road signs, traffic signals etc. This might have worked in the 1960s but with the increase in traffic today, restrictions of any kind on the streets and roads only leads to further traffic congestion and disarray. As a country develops, it has certain cities and localities where because of natural resources, infrastructure, technical skills or other such reasons, hubs of economic development are created. The high streets and financial business districts of London are one such example. Technological development and business infrastructure are also demanded and marketed to such areas as Bank Street in the UK or Wall Street in the USA. It is not surprising then that hordes of professionals and lay people alike flock to these areas for work daily and become a source of economic and financial progress for the nation. The burgeoning cities that become a magnet for trade and commercial activity are in turn marked out by individuals keen to get a job and businesses also want to set up their offices there. In the presence of office space, there is no problem but each new block puts an additional strain on the locally available resources- from utilities to emergency services. The traffic congestion and parking spaces are only one aspect of the problem- but nevertheless in the context of what we are talking about- a very important problem. In developed economies, owning and using a car is a necessity if we want to get from point A to point B. There must be arrangements for parking space as well as attention given to the rate and flow of traffic so as to avoid congestion, smog and pollution as far as possible. Even though the world is moving towards green energy and cars with a low carbon footprint, we will nevertheless be faced with waiting time and have frayed tempers and less fitful sleep due to time delays in case of a pileup on our roads. So anticipating the volume of traffic and making proper arrangements for its dispersion is a key factor in city planning and development. It is interesting that while Buchanan’s approach focuses upon demarcating of public spaces and roads for the vehicle owner and pedestrian, Monderman would opt for an entirely different open ended approach. It is also interesting to note that in Denmark where the experiment of removing all traffic signals and signs was considered, it stopped or reduced the rate of accidents compared to when the signs and signals were in place. While Buchanan envisaged a place for everyone, Monderman considered nothing but open spaces, leaving it to the ingenuity and intelligence of the local population to sort out the traffic problem by themselves. Could it indeed be a sense of responsibility or order that is all that makes the difference? Somebody has remarked that every 20 years we have a new generation and it is also possible that today’s generation is more comfortable with the idea of open and unrestricted shared spaces where each knows his or her own place and caters for others needs as and when seen. Where there are no signs and signals, it leads to the driver having to be more alert (Silva, 2009, 334). In the case where signals and speed bumps abound, we often try to get ahead of the next or adjoining driver and are often involved in jostling matches where our cars get the worst of the deal. A traffic snarl can often bring out the worst in a driver, leading to road rage, rash and irresponsible driving and absence of driving etiquette, with all the resulting consequences. But the truth is a lot deeper than that. We have to go back to our roots, how we are brought up in society and the rules and conventions that dominate for good or bad. It is what makes us what we are. Of course, immigrating to a new country would entail facing a new culture, new social norms and in fact a new way of life. We would have to adapt in order to survive- even if we are there only for a vacation. It might be difficult considering how used we are to our own way of life and social norms and regulations in our home country, but it has to be done. Once we are back home, we can be ourselves again. In this respect I would like to bring forth the ideas of Goffman and Foucault regarding social norms and behavior. Goffman proposes that we are often on our best behaviors with others in social situations- even with strangers- unless we perceive that we are going to be harmed. Applying this to Monderman’s experiment in Denmark it is likely that drivers are on their best behavior and look in all directions, not just ahead while negotiating roads without traffic signs or signals. On the other hand, Michel Foucault proposes that we are weaned on a particular social order right from birth and through the social institutions like the home, the school, the Church etc. in our society as practiced by different individuals defines our particular social system and creates and governs our behavior with others (Silva, 2009, 341). In an intelligent and evolved society, the law and its boundaries are always changing in accordance with what the majority of society accepts. Thus discussions on an issue through the media or on alternative forums become a way in which public opinion can be formulated and acceptance prepared for a social or legal change. This is what is likely to happen in an ordered society like Denmark or Japan, or even the UK or USA. Conclusion We have seen that Buchanan and Monderman being two traffic engineering experts and social scientists have proposed two very different solutions to the problem of traffic congestion in a modern city. While the former relies on the system to regulate things, the latter relies just on human nature and our own inherent goodness, sense of justice and fair play to generate a sense of order and less congestion on the streets, roads and highways that make up our fair cities. References Silva, E.B. Chapter 7: Making Social Order. In Taylor, S.; Hinchliffe, S.; Clarke, J. & Bromley, S.(eds). : Making Social Lives. Open University Press, 2009. Read More