The National Center for Walking and Biking has launched its “Traffic Justice Initiative” to “redefine our societal perspective on motor vehicle crashes, and substantially reduce their occurrence.”
The BTA, with its vulnerable roadway users bill for the 2007 legislature and other work on crashes, is part of this national movement. We were in attendance for the September 2006 launch, and look forward to providing national leadership with our partners.
From the National Center description:
We typically speak of “accidents�, rarely of crashes or road violence; and rarer still do we treat them as matters of systematic injustice. Yet they are more than an accumulation of random events, more than a series of regrettable yet unavoidable byproducts of our transportation system. They constitute a violent and anti-social assault on life, health and community.
We plan to mount a campaign to redefine our societal perspective on motor vehicle crashes, and substantially reduce their occurrence. We will come at this goal from every possible angle, including transforming public discourse about road safety, holding drivers accountable for their actions, changing highway design to better limit motor vehicle speeds, fully enabling the employment of every enforcement technology, and curtailing the use of distracting electronic devices.
We see this as a national campaign, fueled by local groups. A small national staff will provide a broad perspective, technical advice, advocacy support, position papers, press releases, and coordination among local initiatives. Local groups will provide success stories through implementing a menu of local initiatives based on local needs and local interests.
I just visited the website and read the background materials. Absolutely brilliant — exactly what I’ve been ranting about for quite some time, only they’re much more eloquent than I’ve ever been.
Bicycling can only become a true transportation option when traffic justice is addressed.
This is why I support the BTA.