AN ACR PILOT COMMENTS THAT SDF TRACON AND TOWER RELY ON ARRIVING ACFT TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

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I WAS THE CAPT ACR XXX. XXX ARRIVING TO SDF. I AM WRITING THIS RPT BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THE SEQUENCING FROM SDF APCH; AND THEN BY SDF TWR; IS INADEQUATE AND RELIES ON THE PLTS TO CALL TFC IN SIGHT TO MAKE IT WORK. WE WERE TOLD BY APCH TO MAINTAIN 250 KTS UNTIL ALMOST INTERCEPTING THE FINAL COURSE; DUE TO TFC BEHIND US. (APCH TOLD US WE WERE #3; AND TO KEEP THE SPD UP.) THE PF WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SLOW DOWN SOONER; BEING NEW ON THE AIRPLANE; BUT I WAS COMFORTABLE WITH KEEPING THE SPD UP FOR A WHILE LONGER; TO HELP THE SEQUENCING. WE WERE FLYING ON AN EBOUND COURSE; EXPECTING THE ILS TO RWY 35L. APCH WANTED US TO CALL OUR TFC THAT WAS ALSO INBOUND TO RWY 35L; BUT THEY WERE NBOUND; AND STILL AT OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS. I COULD SEE THE TFC; BUT I COULD ALSO SEE THAT WE WERE TOO FAST TO GET BEHIND THEM AND MAINTAIN SAFE/ADEQUATE SEPARATION; SO I TOLD THE CTLR THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR THE TFC. THE CTLR REALIZED THAT IT WOULD BE HIS JOB TO SEPARATE US; AND ORDERED AN IMMEDIATE REDUCTION IN SPD AND TO HOLD A HDG OF E. WE SLOWED DOWN THE ACFT; BUT WE WERE STILL TIGHT BEHIND THE OTHER TFC. IT WAS DARK AND THE TFC WAS BLENDING IN WITH THE CITY LIGHTS. I WAS NOT AT ALL COMFORTABLE WITH CALLING THIS TFC IN SIGHT; TAKING ON THE RESPONSIBILITY TO SEPARATE US. THE APCH CTLR MANAGED TO PUT US ON FINAL AND CLRED US FOR THE ILS RWY 35L; THEN SWITCHED US TO TWR. THE TWR CTLR ASKED ME IF WE HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT; AND I SAID; 'LOOKING...' WITH A TONE IN HIS VOICE; HE SAID THAT IT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME; AS IF TO SAY; 'HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE HIM?' I TOLD HIM THAT (THE TFC) WAS BLENDING IN WITH THE CITY LIGHTS AND THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO MAINTAIN VISUAL. TO HELP HIM OUT; I TOLD HIM THAT WE DO HAVE THE FIELD IN SIGHT; SO THE CTLR; WITH TONE IN VOICE; ORDERED US TO SIDESTEP TO RWY 35R AND CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL. I FIND THAT ATC WANTS US TO MAKE THEIR JOB EASIER BY CALLING TFC IN SIGHT AND RELEASING THE CREWS TO DO THEIR OWN VISUAL SEPARATION; BUT AS A CAPT; I DON'T THINK IT'S SAFE BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF TFC THAT COMES IN TO SDF AT NIGHT. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAPPENS AND I FEEL AS IF I AM PUNISHED WHEN I REFUSE TO CALL TFC IN SIGHT. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED; MY ACFT WAS TAKEN OUT OF SEQUENCE AND SENT ON A XCOUNTRY DOWNWIND.