3 Rules Identifying the main idea and supporting points


1 What does the photo show? Are these types of signs common where you live? 2 Read the article and answer the questions.


a Which situations does the writer mention when he has to follow rules? b According to the writer, what is wrong with traffic lights? c How are roundabouts different from traffic lights from the driver’s point of view? d What changes to road use are being made in the USA? e What is a ‘naked street’? f What is unique about ‘shared spaces’?


The problem with rules


Everywhere I go, I’m being told what to do. At work my boss gives me deadlines, at home I have letters from the Council telling me what to do with my rubbish, and there are even rules at the theatre!


1. But it’s when I get in my car that I really notice it. There are signs everywhere telling me what I can and can’t do. But the worst of all is the traffic light. It’s green so I go. It’s red so I stop. I don’t even look to my left or right, I just drive1.


2. And this is where the problem lies. Because we are always being told what to do, we don’t actually have to think or make decisions for ourselves. And the sad thing is it is so unnecessary because humans are actually very good at organizing themselves2.


3. This can be seen when drivers meet at a roundabout, for example. Yes, there’s a rule about giving way to people on your right, but often several cars reach the roundabout at the same time. And what do we do? We look at each other, read each other’s intentions, and together we decide who will go first. In other words, we cooperate3.


4. Thankfully, town planners are starting to understand that humans can be trusted to organize themselves safely. Traffic lights are being replaced with roundabouts across the USA, for example. And some countries have experimented with removing all signals and instructions, even the white lines in the middle of the road. The idea behind these ‘naked streets’ is that drivers pay more attention to what is around them because they aren’t relying on white lines, speed signs and traffic lights to tell them what to do. The results have been impressive, with speeds reduced and accident rates falling. In addition to naked streets, there has been an increase in ‘shared spaces’ in town centres. These areas are shared between drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, with no lanes telling people where they should be. Instead, the different road users are more aware of each other and therefore more careful not to cause accidents.


5. So it seems something positive is happening in the area of traffic management. The question is, how can these ideas be applied to other areas of life?


3 Read the article again and answer the questions. a What is the writer’s main idea?


b Which underlined sentence(s) (1–3) summarizes the main idea of the article?


C


c Which sentence(s) support the main idea?


d Do you think the writer is giving a balanced view of the argument?


English for the 21st Century • Unit 3 47


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