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Authorities have successfully demonised "rat runners". However motorists
have every right to use public roads. It is extremely undemocratic to
close off "local streets" and use traffic calming without taking into
account the views of motorists who use those roads. Using the term "local streets" is also of concern as it may convey the message to children that playing on the roads is acceptable. Anything which encourages children to put themselves in the path of vehicles is irresponsible. It is desirable to distribute traffic throughout the road system to reduce congestion at times when main roads cannot accomodate the traffic. Steps need to be taken to address the causal problem rather than simply making it worse - particularly when another result is turning some streets into dangerous obstacle courses which obscure the visibility of pedestrians, force erratic driving and riding, and cause pain to sensitive drivers or riders. |