The Woman Who Stops Traffic 05 Mar 08
I’ve been following, with great interest, the mini-series on Channel 4 called The Woman Who Stops Traffic, in which professional ‘trouble-shooter’ Kris Murrin tries to help 3 towns which are suffering from severe traffic congestion.
Kris’ approach is very simple: try to convince people to use their cars less often. Rather than being anti-car, the campaigns are more pro-thought, asking people to consider whether or not there is an alternative to taking their cars rather than just automatically driving everywhere.
What I find really fascinating is the psychology and the attitudes of the members of the ‘general public’ when questioned about their car usage and whether they’d be prepared to drive less. Frequently we see:
- Negativity – The first words from so many people have been ‘It’ll never work.’ They assume that not everyone will be convinced to change (probably a fair assumption) but then use this as their own reason not to change.
- Denial of Ownership – The general opinion seems to be that traffic is ‘everyone else on the road, but not me.’ Normally, fingers are pointed towards some group as the ones to blame – it could be the school-run mums blocking the roads or the local council for not dealing with the problem. The fact that, as an individual in a car, they are also part of the problem seems to be too difficult to grasp.
- Outrage – Perhaps the most shocking are those people whom rational thought seems to have temporarily abandoned, leaving them to swear and shout about how driving is their right and that no one is going to tell them otherwise.
Even when presented with the facts about rising traffic levels and the detrimental effect on our health and our environment that driving everywhere is having, some people refuse to change or even listen.
So far, two episodes have been broadcast and the score is one all. In the small town of Marlow, the campaign headed up by Kris, and assisted by many local volunteers, resulted in a very successful ‘no car’ day – a first step to get people thinking about alternatives. In Boston (England), however the campaign had little to no impact at all. Some said that this was due to the majority of traffic being through-traffic from areas outside the campaign zone. Others said it was merely an indication of how attached to their cars people have become.
The final episode (to be broadcast on Tuesday 11th March at 9pm on Channel 4) will feature Kris’s toughest test, taking on the City of Durham’s traffic problems. The previous episodes are available for viewing for 30 days after their original broadcast date on Chanel 4’s On-Demand service ‘4oD’
I have my own excuses for sticking to the car, for now at least – waiting to see if my employer is going to start a Cycle to Work scheme; waiting for our office move that will bring me closer to cycle routes – but I’m only too aware at the minute of how I’m part of the problem. I hope its not too long before I become part of the solution.
Posted by Nev in Transport with tags car, cycle to work, driving, transport
