Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

Is this really the best we can do?

Dave Alden at Vibrant Bay Area writes that the above ad from Dignity Health (dignity!) depicting a driver getting out of his car to help a senior avoid being run over in a crosswalk is a pretty skewed notion of “human kindness.”

[I]sn’t there something unkind about forcing the woman to cross the busy street in the first place?

How about if we instead define “humankindness” to include the building of neighborhoods where senior citizens of limited mobility don’t need to cross four-lane streets to do daily shopping? Or if we at least include traffic calming on four-lane streets so the vehicular speed are slowed, making respect for crosswalks more likely? That seems a better standard of “humankindness.”

Of course, more walkable destinations and slower traffic speeds are both part of the urbanist toolkit. I must be hanging out with kind people.

The bitter irony of this ad is that, in reality, good Samaritans who try to help other people in traffic often become victims themselves.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Washington Bikes on what it means to be a “bicycle-friendly” community; Biking Toronto reports on the possibility of new downtown separated bike lanes; and Cap’n Transit wonders why the NYC bus drivers union, now waging war on a traffic safety law, remains silent when it comes to preserving transit service.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

BREAKING: U.S. DOT Orders Review of All Grants Related to Green Infrastructure, Bikes

Now U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is coming for our bike lanes!

March 12, 2025

Pressure’s on Hochul As Legislative Budget Proposals Don’t Fund MTA Capital Plan

"The clock is ticking" for Gov. Hochul to come up with a way to fund the next MTA capital — or start to pay the price in delayed projects.

March 12, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: FOIL’ed Again Edition

How many Department of Transportation officials does it take to not answer reporters' Freedom of Information Law requests? (Sixteen!) Plus other news.

March 12, 2025

Data: Congestion Pricing is Not Rerouting Traffic to Other Boroughs

Traffic on four outerborough bridges dropped in February — defying MTA forecasts for increased through-traffic around the congestion relief zone.

March 12, 2025
See all posts