Construction of Obstruction and Traffic
Constriction -- Victoria, BC
Although since COVID more people than
ever are having goods delivered to homes and offices, the vehicles
delivering them are being blocked by street design in Victoria,
creating fantastic Designer Traffic Jams.
In the ever-growing ocean of traffic
that grows with population, instead of crossing streets a pedestrian (or car or truck) is ship-wrecked on traffic islands
in the middle of intersections, and must dodge through a tangle of
bike lanes blocking the flow. In the middle of the road they will
find “community spaces” when all they want is traffic space, so
as to get from A to B without exhaust-spewing start-stop delays.
This traffic restriction is about ideological strictures against automobiles. “Stricture” is related to the Latin word “strictus” (strict) -- and “stringere”, to tighten, which is what the City is doing to roadway access. “Strait” too comes from “strictus”: in oceanography a strait is a narrow marine passageway. In urban crossings too we find ourselves driving in straitened circumstances, where we used to have relatively wide open seas to navigate. No one is benefitting, not even the cyclists it's all supposed to be for, who spend more time trying to decipher traffic signs and figure out the meanings of flashing lights and which green light is whose, than zipping along the curbs in the simple old-fashioned way we used to do.
Snarls-by-design create loud vocal snarling as well. Hate speech is okay, if directed against drivers. Yet if you don't drive, it's only because you out-source your delivery of cargo to others, professional and gig drivers who have to deal with anti-car street-design aggression every day.
