Reverse Power Hierarchies make for Safer Streets
The more power and size you have, the more you should defer and be respectful to those smaller and less powerful than yourself.
The 21st Century, and perhaps most of human history sadly disagrees with me.
As I was out walking recently a motorbike rider – an L plater no less – decided to rev their engine at me for having the temerity to continue walking on the footpath instead of stopping for them as they attempted to access a shopping strip by driving across that footpath.
Ironically this same rider is highly likely to suffer from a similar expression of power – often with fatal consequences – as they battle with cars and trucks for their safety on a busy road. Yet when given the opportunity to be patient and respectful to those in a less powerful position they too chose to be the bully.
I once saw a great cartoon which illustrated how little public space is given over to people, portraying streets as great canyons highlighting the risk we all take every time we choose to walk instead of of getting behind the wheel of a car.
That cartoon is no longer accurate.
Not because road designers and governments have widened footpaths and made more and safer crossings. It's no longer accurate because in addition to wider streets, narrower footpaths and cars larger than literal tanks driving across or even parking on footpaths with impunity, we're seeing ballooning and often illegal use of those footpaths by grown adults (read delivery drivers) riding motorised vehicles on them at speed with little thought for the people these spaces are intended for.
I live in hope that the L-Plate rider I had my encounter with learns one of the most important rules of the road and life: give way to others, especially those with less size and power than you have. Hopefully before they fall victim to the kind of ignorant, entitled pissant who'd happily turn right across their bike as they go straight through an intersection.
Postscript: While I was having issues that were preventing me from publishing this post, I sadly read yet another story about a child being killed by a driver who couldn't control their tank. And here is the rub in Australia, the killer was simply fined $2000. Meaning the post-hoc registration charge for SUV drivers who kill is not much more than the actual registration cost of their vehicle in the first place.
Over to you, politicians
