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@VoltairePerkins
Infrastructure improvement, liability changes, amendments to the law and a whole bunch of other things are important and necessary and probably the right path to safer roads for everybody, but they're decade long solutions (at least) and, as VB's pointed out about HGV bans, it's insanely fucking complicated and there are potentially negative side effects to things that seem pretty straightforward.
Five absolutely unnecessary and eminently avoidable deaths in eight days, as well as a bunch of injuries, demands an immediate response surely?
Too much said here already to meaningfully multi-quote but, like mobile phone use while driving, there are so many existing laws and regulations that just aren't being enforced; speeding, RLJ (by all road users), uninsured drivers, HGVs/Tippers on the roads without the correct paperwork etc, cyclists without (or with poorly functioning) lights after dark. The Met/City Police could start cracking down on all these things in a matter of hours and, although I'm not saying that any of these recent incidents were directly/immediately caused by anyone breaking these laws a highly visible enforcement blitz might make everyone just chill the fuck out a little bit and maybe not gun it to get through an amber light if they think there might be a copper waiting to hand out a fine on the other side (for example).
It's absolutely a temporary, interim option and wouldn't have any lasting effect but if it even slows the incident rate over the next eight days while the darker evenings and crapper weather are still sort of novel then it's totally worth it, right?
/ill informed ranty anger posting