[Abandoned] Cross Over Crossings

[Verdant Haven]

With inspiration from Boston's "Big Dig" and the ongoing Alaskan Way Viaduct overhaul in Seattle…

[TITLE] Cross Over Crossings

[DESCRIPTION] An alarming report by the @@DEMONYM@@ Automobile Association has revealed a tremendous spike in fatal accidents between vehicles and pedestrians in the urban areas of @@NAME@@. With more and more people crowding the cities, and an ever-increasing number of cars on the streets, it seems certain that more will die unless some action is taken.

[VALIDITY] Automobiles. Low "Safety" stat. Population greater than 1 billion


[CHOICE 1] "We have to reign in aggressive drivers" groans @@RANDOMNAME@@ from @@HIS@@ hospital bed, where @@HE@@ is recovering from a car-crushed coccyx. "You know how in some places, drivers have to stop at level crossings? Make people stop at every crosswalk, too! And we need more crosswalks, so people can get around safely. I shouldn't have to dodge death just to reach my office door."

[EFFECT 1] the daily commute now takes the whole day


[CHOICE 2] "People think they can just dash out in to the road whenever" gripes delivery driver @@RANDOMNAME@@, whose route takes @@HIM@@ through downtown @@CAPITAL@@. "Just yesterday some lady with a pram walked right out in front of me! Thank goodness it was just full of groceries, but to hear her fuss, you'd think I'd run over her first born! You need to step up enforcement of jaywalking laws, prohibit crossing against the light, and arrest chronic offenders as a public nuisance! Then maybe business can get done around here."

[EFFECT 2] school crossing guards threaten to arrest inattentive students


[CHOICE 3] "Long have I dreamed of this…" breathes your Minister of Megaprojects, @@RANDOMNAME@@, with a deranged glint in @@HIS@@ eye. "If we build tunnels under the cities, we can bury the roads! Commute times will be halved, pedestrian accidents will cease to exist… sure it will take decades and cost several times the GDP of a small nation, but just think of the glorious green spaces we'll have on the surface! I call it the "City Highway Underground Development."

[EFFECT 3] road construction workers can be identified by their pale and unblinking eyes

1st draft:

[TITLE] Cross Over Crossings

[DESCRIPTION] An alarming report by the @@DEMONYM@@ Automobile Association has revealed a tremendous spike in fatal accidents between vehicles and pedestrians in the urban areas of @@NAME@@. With more and more people crowding the cities, and an ever-increasing number of cars on the streets, it seems certain that more will die unless some action is taken.

[VALIDITY] Automobiles. Low "Safety" stat. Population greater than 1 billion (if that is possible to check)


[CHOICE 1] "We have to reign in aggressive drivers" groans @@RANDOMNAME@@ from @@HIS@@ hospital bed, where @@HE@@ is recovering from a hit and run injury. "You know how in some places, you have to stop at level crossings? Make people do that at crosswalks! And we need more crosswalks too, so people can get around safely. I shouldn't have to dodge death just to reach my office door."

[EFFECT 1] the daily commute is more stop than go


[CHOICE 2] "People think they can just dash out in to the road whenever" gripes delivery driver @@RANDOMNAME@@, whose route takes @@HIM@@ through downtown @@CAPITAL@@. "They ignore signals, don't look for traffic, and make my day a nightmare! You need to step up enforcement of jaywalking laws, prohibit crossing away from the crosswalk, and arrest chronic offenders as a public nuisance! Then maybe business can get done around here."

[EFFECT 2] school crossing guards are known to arrest inattentive students


[CHOICE 3] "I have a plan for this…" whispers your Minister of Megaprojects, @@RANDOMNAME@@, with an excited glint in @@HIS@@ eye. "If we build tunnels under the cities, we can bury the roads! Commute times will be halved, pedestrian accidents will cease to exist… sure it will take decades and cost several times the GDP of a small nation, but just think of the glorious green spaces and promenades we'll have on the surface!"

[EFFECT 3] generations of road construction workers live and die without seeing the sun

1a: Option 1

"We have to reign in aggressive drivers" groans @@RANDOMNAME@@ from @@HIS@@ hospital bed, where @@HE@@ is recovering from a hit and run injury. "You know how in some places, school buses have to stop at every crosswalk? Make all traffic do that! And we need more crosswalks too, so people can get around safely. I shouldn't have to dodge death just to reach my office door."

[Australian rePublic]

Cross walk is a zebra crossing, right? Aren't cars already required to stop at zebra crossings to give way to pedestrians? Isn't that a thing everywhere?

[Baggieland]

Aren't cars already required to stop at zebra crossings to give way to pedestrians? Isn't that a thing everywhere?

Agree with this, why just school buses? However, VH does have the low safety validity, if you go to places in Asia, Africa, Latin America, no one stops at zebra crossings.

Population greater than 1 billion (if that is possible to check)

Yes, it is.

[Verdant Haven]

Aren't cars already required to stop at zebra crossings to give way to pedestrians? Isn't that a thing everywhere?

Agree with this, why just school buses? However, VH does have the low safety validity, if you go to places in Asia, Africa, Latin America, no one stops at zebra crossings.

I mixed up what I was trying to write, and made it a lot harder to make sense of. I've corrected that now!

My intention was to compare the buses stopping at level crossings, and ask people to stop at cross walks the same way. Basically treat every crosswalk, occupied or not, as a stop sign.

Like you say though, in many countries people ignore crosswalks completely. I recall one terrifying cab ride in Hangzhou, China 20 years ago where it wasn't a question if we came in contact with people, but counting how many we hit. I think it was three - one clipping an umbrella, one hitting a shopping bag in their hand, and one where the car clipped the handlebar of a bicycle (those being part of what I counted as 17 offenses in a roughly 10 minute trip that would have probably resulted in being pulled over and possibly arrested in most "western" places). In all three cases, the people just kept walking/riding, since it apparently happens constantly.

Population greater than 1 billion (if that is possible to check)

Yes, it is.

Eeeeeexcellent

[Far Easter Republic]

You need Punctuation.

[Verdant Haven]

You need Punctuation.

Where do you believe it needs additional punctuation?

I believe the description and option texts are fully punctuated, and the effect texts are required to be written without initial capitalization and terminal punctuation.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

It's very competent, in that it meets all the requirements of an issue. However, it needs a big humour injection, in my opinion. Even extremely serious topics can be presented semi-whimsically.

[Australian rePublic]

Aren't cars already required to stop at zebra crossings to give way to pedestrians? Isn't that a thing everywhere?

Agree with this, why just school buses? However, VH does have the low safety validity, if you go to places in Asia, Africa, Latin America, no one stops at zebra crossings.

Then why paint them? Unless the issue is people who ignore road rules

[Verdant Haven]

Agree with this, why just school buses? However, VH does have the low safety validity, if you go to places in Asia, Africa, Latin America, no one stops at zebra crossings.

Then why paint them? Unless the issue is people who ignore road rules

Painting them still helps for many people, but not enough. I live in a major American metro area (more than 5 million people) with crosswalks at every corner, and have had three colleagues struck by cars while crossing the street (two fatally) in the last four years. 99% of the time, they work. The speaker in the issue is trying to make it 100% of the time by forcing people to stop and each one, and also wants to increase the number of crosswalks for pedestrian convenience. It's an anti-car option, without the "take away all cars" angle (which I consider to be overplayed and absurd).

It's very competent, in that it meets all the requirements of an issue. However, it needs a big humour injection, in my opinion. Even extremely serious topics can be presented semi-whimsically.

I shall see what I can do to step up the laughter game! I was very disappointed to discover that the term "project Morlock" had already been used in another issue!

[Verdant Haven]

Alright, 2nd draft up! I've tweaked all of the options to try and make them a bit more amusing, and now have your Megaproject minister proudly introducing his brainchild C.H.U.D..

Does this feel a little clearer and more engaging? Other feedback?

[Autonomous Cleaner Bot Cleaners]

It's very competent, in that it meets all the requirements of an issue. However, it needs a big humour injection, in my opinion. Even extremely serious topics can be presented semi-whimsically.

As a pedestrian commuter myself, I almost daily dream about heavily fortified crosswalks and pathways. WWI-style anti-tankcar trenches. Czech hedgehogs and dragons teeth everywhere. At the very least, crosswalks defended by automatic traffic bollards that extend and retract in sync with the crossing signal.

Maybe a machine gun nest or three.