Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

citylab.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 241 posts

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#31

Post by Nasrudith »

closeparen wrote: post #3
justtopost wrote: post #2

Nothing happens if you keep them inside feeding their tiktok and fortnite addictions. I can't even recall the last time I broke up a hockey or streetball game driving through neighborhoods.

Even if the kids wanted to, letting them play in the street would be unthinkable to contemporary parents. Trusting drivers to pay attention would be foolish.

The most sensible way to play in a street (a very odd sentence), barring officially closed roads is a cul de sac - which is far less objectionable because the traffic is restricted to only those heading to the houses after they slow down for a turn.

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#32

Post by clairity »

kingo55 wrote: post #23

I live in St Kilda, Australia and our council recently changed one of our iconic streets to almost exclusively be for pedestrians and trams. Businesses protested for months about potential lost business, however as a resident I feel so much safer walking down the street. It feels like foot traffic has increased there, too. It's such an improvement. I also like to think tunnels to apartment buildings could help us tak…

i'm on board with putting express roads and parking underground (even though the costs are high) and making the extra space available for humans, pets and lower speed transport like bikes and scooters.

i'd also advocate making licensing for vehicles much harder and increasing the enforcement and punishment of distracted driving.

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#33

Post by sbov »

Nasrudith wrote: post #31
closeparen wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if the kids wanted to, letting them play in the street would be unthinkable to contemporary parents. Trusting drivers to pay attention would be foolish.

The most sensible way to play in a street (a very odd sentence), barring officially closed roads is a cul de sac - which is far less objectionable because the traffic is restricted to only those heading to the houses after they slow down for a turn.

We live in a cul de sac and it's been great. The kids all come out in the evening and there's 6-10 of them.

The one concern with our location is that the connecting road is 35mph, branched off from a 45mph road, plus its downhill. So some people tend to go down that 35mph road at 50mph.

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#34

Post by pasta »

clairity wrote: post #32
kingo55 wrote: post #23

I live in St Kilda, Australia and our council recently changed one of our iconic streets to almost exclusively be for pedestrians and trams. Businesses protested for months about potential lost business, however as a resident I feel so much safer walking down the street. It feels like foot traffic has increased there, too. It's such an improvement. I also like to think tunnels to apartment buildings could help us tak…

i'm on board with putting express roads and parking underground (even though the costs are high) and making the extra space available for humans, pets and lower speed transport like bikes and scooters. i'd also advocate making licensing for vehicles much harder and increasing the enforcement and punishment of distracted driving.

An alternative to underground is 'at the back'.

For example you can have a car free shopping street where cars can only park at the back sides of the shops.

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#35

Post by crankylinuxuser »

Yeah, they're doing this plan to Evansville, IN. And it's one hell of a job. They've killed downtown, since there's no 'outer areas' to park. Sidewalks are in complete disarray, and cars still zoom on past.

But the center areas where there are no cars also is set up for no people to move about. The road ledges are still there, so handicapped people cant just use their wheelchairs. It's the worst of both worlds.

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#36

Post by leetcrew »

clairity wrote: post #32
kingo55 wrote: post #23

I live in St Kilda, Australia and our council recently changed one of our iconic streets to almost exclusively be for pedestrians and trams. Businesses protested for months about potential lost business, however as a resident I feel so much safer walking down the street. It feels like foot traffic has increased there, too. It's such an improvement. I also like to think tunnels to apartment buildings could help us tak…

i'm on board with putting express roads and parking underground (even though the costs are high) and making the extra space available for humans, pets and lower speed transport like bikes and scooters. i'd also advocate making licensing for vehicles much harder and increasing the enforcement and punishment of distracted driving.

how do you increase the enforcement of distracted driving?

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#37

Post by mschuster91 »

whatshisface wrote: post #29
throwawaysea wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That seems to me like a different problem (one of education or enforcement of traffic laws), although I acknowledge that a middle ground helps. I have not had the same experience as you where I am - maybe that is because we have traffic signals in some places, or crosswalks with flashing lights in others, or more courteous drivers for the rest of it (unmarked crossings), but I definitely feel plenty safe walking arou…

> That seems to me like a different problem (one of education or enforcement of traffic laws), although I acknowledge that a middle ground helps. The choice boils down to a dense, very large police force, versus streets designed to make good behavior natural. The latter can be a lot cheaper (and will involve many fewer tickets) than the former.

> and will involve many fewer tickets

Given that many cities and police forces rely on traffic fines (and in the US, on civil forfeiture), the choice for city governments is skewed towards more enforcement...

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#38

Post by ndnxhs »

justtopost wrote: post #2

Nothing happens if you keep them inside feeding their tiktok and fortnite addictions. I can't even recall the last time I broke up a hockey or streetball game driving through neighborhoods.

You have never been on a street that would support a hockey game. Such a street would not allow you to drive on it. There were hardly any kids outside in my suburb and then the council built a small dirt jumps park and the day it opens there is a swarm of 40 - 50 people using it. People won't use something until it exists for them to use it.

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#39

Post by leetcrew »

darkpuma wrote: post #11
krylon wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Germany, we have "Verkehrsberuhigte Zonen"[0] (Wikipedia says the english term is "living street"), where the speed limit is very low, and drivers are expected to look out for playing children. It works relatively well, at least in residential areas. Usually such streets are built in such a way you cannot go very fast any way. [0] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verkehrsberuhigter_Bereich / https://en.wikipedia.org/…

In America driving at 6 km/h (3.7mph) in a parking lot would induce road rage in other drivers. Trying to make roads with a 6 km/h speed limit would be political suicide for any politician that recommended it.

that's an absurd speed. i literally cannot go that slow in my car without lugging the engine or slipping the clutch the whole way. no thanks.

Re: What Happens to Kid Culture When Streets Are Closed to Cars

#40

Post by ndnxhs »

zepearl wrote: post #17
tudelo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

6 mph... yeah. About that. People in the US don't really go the speed limit even in a 25mph zone so I don't know how well that will work. The only time I see people generally going the speed limit is in areas with speed tracking cameras.

Same in Switzerland, but if the city/community is really serious about that and there are some long-term plans: don't build slick surfaces but ones made of "bricks" or similar (example: https://www.experiencedbricks.com/images/products/kushequa-b... ) which definitely get rid of the "need for speed"-feeling (as the faster you go the more everything vibrates in your car, kind of an analog force-feedback feeling), and…

Bricks are also a pain for bikes which often don't have huge tires and suspension.
Post reply on HN