There, logically, engine gives way to sail, which gives way to oar. On the roads it's the opposite, everything gives way to the most powerful force. Traffic flow is always the priority. Yet in other European countries where cities and villages give priority to pedestrians and cars slow down, there is no obvious cost to the transport system or economy. The Netherlands has even experimented in some areas with removing all road signs, designing the road to look like a pedestrian area.
Speeds drop dramatically and so do road accidents.
Not surprisingly, our streets are emptying of pedestrians. This is the only reason why Britain's pedestrian death rate is not considerably higher. But the costs show up elsewhere. New statistics on childhood obesity prove this is caused by a decline in outside play and walking to school. The amount of fat in the average diet has actually gone down.