Cross
SIR,—Glaux's comment in the Spectator of August 28th on the Britisher's insistence on freedom to commit suicide on our public highways is interesting; but whatever may be permitted on the open road there is much to be said for controlled crossings in congested streets and built-up areas.
On a recent visit to Spain; I adopted the traditional British habit of sauntering diagonally across one of Madrid's main streets. The extreme firmness and politeness of a monitoring policeman soon con- vinced me not only that I was wrong in Spain, but that my background was also wrong !
The combination of marked pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and above all bells which ring at each change of the traffic stream not only makes orderly what is in England rank disorder, but apart from eliminating accidents, greatly speeds up the average rate of flow of all traffic.
Here in England pedestrian priority at zebra crossings results in endless hesitations and confusion; braking and accelerating at the whim of the individual pedestrian. Under the Spanish system, each type of user has priority after the ring of the appropriate bell, and then only. Its effect if tried in many of our congested main streets would I think be miraculous, and would completely elinlinate those men (and women) with boards and waving arms, now employed to correct the worse effects of our present system. The system should
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