생명을 생각하는 교통대책

A Traffic Policy That Values Life

Even though we are faced with the most severe traffic condition in the world, our understanding in the matter has remained the same. Moreover, there has been hardly any effort to solve traffic problems like car accidents. In a situation where the basic means of maintaining human lives - roads, railways, air and shipping transportation - constantly take away human lives, we need to watch out for any problems regarding the policy, system, practice, awareness and life style in order to root out the chronic problems of the present traffic system. From the point of view of life and traffic relationship, the problem of the function of traffic and its circumstance is the relationship between men and traffic. This problem ultimately arises from human values. Traffic is directly related to human behavior, and it influences men's life style and behavior patterns. This influence has both positive and negative sides, and the negative influences include traffic accidents, air pollution, noise, vibration, etc. Faced with this traffic problem, our traffic policy should take steps to set up a policy which is centered around men and life. This change in policy takes initiative from the fact that the traffic circumstances have changed drastically from the past. That is to say that traffic values have changed with time, promoting expectations of a faster and more pleasant means of transportation. On the other hand, development of advanced technology has opened possibilities to satisfy these needs while promoting pollution-free and echologically-friendly transportation. Lastly, advance in information technology contributes to unify vehicles, road facilities and drivers in order to devise a smooth circulation and to improve traffic safety. The direction of traffic policy improvement based on various given conditions attempts to settle a human-centered traffic culture and to establish a human-centered traffic plan. In order to establish this traffic culture, we need to revise our understanding of the traffic system, and recognize that traffic itself is not the goal but rather a means to achieve other goals. Therefore, measures must be devised to offer priority to a human-centered traffic system. In an attempt to set a human-centered traffic system, human-oriented urban space should be constructed and human-centered traffic plans should be established. Human-centered traffic plans should start by supplying a traffic means that can offer various human activities. The goal of this traffic plan is to offer traffic facilities and means that satisfy men's needs, and to construct a traffic system suitable for human activities. ultimately car-centered traffic environment should be radically reformed to that of a human-centered traffic environment, and it is imminent that the basic traffic philosophy that values human life should be established and practiced.