Comment on Why cyclists should NOT get the same fines as motorists | Car Culture 6 - Motonormativity
abhibeckert@beehaw.org 8 months agoIn a better world, our entire CBD would be a shared-use zone where cars can drive if they need to, but pedestrians always have right of way
Pedestrians always do have right of way, at least in QLD. There’s no situation where it’s acceptable to run over a pedestrian except if it was literally impossible to avoid doing so (e.g. if a pedestrian sprints across the street at high speed with no time for the driver to swerve or hit the brakes).
That doesn’t mean it’s legal for pedestrians to obstruct traffic. Doing so tends to create traffic jams which create situations where pedestrians/cyclists/etc are more likely to be killed. J-Walking fines on high traffic streets, should absolutely be handed out.
Zagorath@aussie.zone 8 months ago
Incorrect. Yes, a driver will get in trouble if they recklessly run into a pedestrian, but the driver still has right of way when continuing along a straight road, or when at an intersection where the pedestrian has a red light.
I’m not interested in that semantic argument some people like to get into about the difference between “right of way” and “must give way to”. One is just the inverse of the other. No more, no less.
It’s not the same as a fully pedestrianised mall, like Queen Street, or a mixed-use area like Albert Street between Adelaide St and Burnett Ln. That latter is what I’m chiefly talking about here. That’s how the CBD should be designed.