Samuel Nello-Deakin


Přednáška

10.09
14:05
25 min
Exploring the fairness of urban traffic fines: Disciplining dangerous or vulnerable road users?
Samuel Nello-Deakin

Based on an empirical analysis of open data on traffic fines in Barcelona for the years 2022-23, my presentation seeks to assess and reflect on the equity of existing traffic policing and enforcement strategies across transport modes. In the context of increased policing campaigns specifically targeting cyclists and e-scooters, I examine whether these two transport modes are are being disproportionately targeted by traffic enforcement in regard to motorists compared to their relative trip volumes and participation in traffic accidents. My findings largely disprove the hypothesis that cyclists and e-scooters are over-represented in traffic fines, but also show that the average amount of fines issued to cyclists and e-scooters is much higher than for car drivers and motorcyclists. This disparity, I suggest, raises important questions regarding the fairness in the treatment of traffic offences between transport modes, and hints at an unspoken disciplining logic which sees unruly cyclists and e-scooters as deserving "exemplary punishment" regardless of whether their violation of traffic rules has a detrimental impact on traffic safety or public space. Given their over-representation in traffic accidents compared to traffic fines, my results also suggest that motorcyclists should be the subject of greater focus in traffic policing and safety campaigns. While my presentation is based on data from Barcelona, at the CRB session I would be interested in discussing the possibility of carrying out similar analyses in other settings, or carrying out a comparative study between cities. More broadly, I am also interested in discussing other potential research ideas regarding urban traffic fine data sets from the perspective of urban cycling.

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