Oslo made its city center basically car-free

Post by agumonkey » Sat, Jan 26, 2019, 4:44 AM UTC

danjayh wrote: post #58

themagician wrote: post #8

I want this so bad. My hatred for the automobile grows every day. The cost, the noise, the time wasted in traffic, the pollution, the ridiculous space wasted on parking. When you really add up the costs, both individual and to society, it’s absolutely insane. I wish the cost of gasoline was high enough to internalize all the costs and change behavior. Like really high. A dollar a mile. We are slaves to the automobile…

I'm amazed that so many people who consider themselves inclusive in their thoughts don't realize how exclusionary anti-automobile policies are. As someone who suffers from mild arthritis, the trip to the back of a Wal-Mart can be painful for me, and a walk or bike ride across a city block absolutely foreboding. On the bad days, even standing in line at a checkout for an extended period of time can send my knees and h…

Post by fouc » Sat, Jan 26, 2019, 4:48 AM UTC

vonmoltke wrote: post #370

fouc wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worst case is that 99% of the rest of the city is still accessible by automobile. High density areas like city downtowns should cater to pedestrians more due to that being the more humane overall. As other people mentioned, there'd be workarounds for people with mobility issues for sure.

In what city is the high-density area confined to 1% of the city area?

Post by int_19h » Sat, Jan 26, 2019, 5:16 AM UTC

baddox wrote: post #408

gotocake wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The history of major roads, especially interstate highways, is a history of the need for roads capable of allowing large military vehicles and troop movements. Has that changed?

I’m sure a very small portion of the benefits of the interstate highways goes to national defense. If it’s truly necessary for national defense, there should still be tolls levied for the side effects: namely the massive subsidies on personal travel and commercial freight.

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jan 26, 2019, 5:40 AM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #323

8ytecoder wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Market st is already a no-go for private cars for many blocks. As much as I hate the scooters that go around in the sidewalks and then park haphazardly blocking the path for disabled people, they did reduce the traffic around Bart stations quite a bit. If it's easy to use the alternative, people do take it. There are a few who'd never leave their precious cars but most others care about the commute and not necessaril…

> Market st is already a no-go for private cars for many blocks. This seems like a 'nobody goes there it's too busy' sort of argument. If it's a no-go for private cars then it should be almost empty apart from a few taxis and a bus or two? Which would make it not a no-go for private cars...

Post by adrianN » Sat, Jan 26, 2019, 5:54 AM UTC

heydonovan wrote: post #326

adrianN wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be completely okay with cars for disabled people, deliveries, and people who have to transport a lot of stuff like tools for their job. But >90% of all cars on the road are driven by able-bodied people with nothing but themselves to transport.

Completely agree! I'd love to hop on a bus and watch Netflix on my phone while someone else drives me downtown to work, but it's 3x as slow. It takes me about 25 minutes to drive myself, or 60-70 minutes by bus. That and a lot of the bus stops around me have zero shade from the sun or rain, or one tiny bench so that the majority of folks waiting have to stand. It feels like such an afterthought. Also, I'd like to poi…