Whilst Brussels wages its long campaign to clear the capital of combustion vehicles, the road to a pedestrian paradise has so far not been smooth. Then again, the updated traffic plans and detours that drivers must now adhere to have done little to deter the city's boy racers (we have it from a verified source that they are indeed all young males).
Despite rolling out a 30 kph limit across most of the region, speeding remains a major issue, driving Brussels in the opposite direction of its targeted zero traffic deaths by 2030. Instances of dangerous (fast) driving present a public hazard that local MPs warn is beyond the control of authorities as they function currently.
Citing a need for coordination between the capital's police zones and pointing to policies that lack the muscle of speed checks and penalties to enforce them, frustrated officials seem well aware of the problem but too tangled in bureaucracy to straighten things out. Sound familiar?
But even with the most effective of local administrations, one could question whether cities aren't hardwired to encourage speed: their entire conception is to reduce distances by bringing people together for efficiency gains and an augmented economic output. As centres of competition, they provide a space for businesses to grow by improving productivity. Is it a surprise that the people within cities feel the pressure to outpace each other in the "rat race"?
Maybe that's a bit meta and folks just need to learn to respect speed limits. But we all know the urban stress that compels us to rush, whether that means squeezing past a group of dawdling tourists or the fit of impatience that comes when the person in front of you is asking the cashier for cigarettes and a Lotto ticket.
Whilst Londoners reserve the right to be mightily ticked off when someone has the impudence to block the left side of an escalator, studies have found that it is actually more efficient for all users to stand still on the machines rather than have just some enjoying the ride. Maybe there's something about being in a built-up environment that permeates the skin, doping us with a sense of urgency all that we do.
Don't we all feel the need for speed? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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