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Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

citylab.com

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Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#181

Post by shoes_for_thee »

tachyonbeam wrote: post #127
amwelles wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the right gear, cycling in winter isn’t bad at all, provided the path is clear.

Anecdotal, but I've ridden a bike in winter only once. There was a lot of melted snow "slush". I almost slipped twice. One of those two times, I was right in front of a car when my back wheel slid off to the side, and I caught myself from falling just in time. I've never done it again, it seems suicidal to me. It was a mountain-style bike, and I would have assumed the tires had enough grip. I'm sure you can pick up t…

I biked every day of the year for about ten years in NYC with an average commute of about six miles each way. This included a ride over either Manhattan or Williamsburg bridge, which get icy faster and stay slushy longer than terrestrial roads.

Always on regular 23c or 25c road tires.

I usually fell over about once per winter, which always kind of sucked. But by my estimation, riding the subway was a more miserable kind of experience.

You slide around a bit but you get used to it. The bike is usually but not always more stable than it feels.

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#182

Post by krschultz »

maxsilver wrote: post #142
curioussavage wrote: post #141

Not in the suburbs... cheap automated taxis are a way more realistic idea for reducing traffic. Not just for last mile either. Switching transportation in the middle of a trip even once wastes a ton of time and adds hassle.

> Not in the suburbs... Which, as a reminder for urbanists, really translates to "Not in the only place 90% of the nation's population is allowed to live"

It's more like 27% rural, 43% suburb, 29% city.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/12/18/americans...

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#183

Post by noobermin »

microtherion wrote: post #162
onreact wrote: post #90

Yeah, I live in Berlin and we have an increasing number of car free zones here where people can move around without being afraid of getting killed. Even children play outside again in such areas without risking their life. Not to mention the lack of noise, pollution and clogged up space with parking cars. Cafes thrive and people stroll around to spend their time and money. Businesses return from the outskirts etc. It…

I would picture a Berlin drug dealer as being perfectly comfortable riding a bicycle.

You can carry much less on a bike.

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#184

Post by dazc »

ourlordcaffeine wrote: post #176
onreact wrote: post #90

Yeah, I live in Berlin and we have an increasing number of car free zones here where people can move around without being afraid of getting killed. Even children play outside again in such areas without risking their life. Not to mention the lack of noise, pollution and clogged up space with parking cars. Cafes thrive and people stroll around to spend their time and money. Businesses return from the outskirts etc. It…

Interesting. Whenever there is talk about pedestrianizing a street in my town, the usual suspects immediately claim that this will make local businesses go bankrupt since "people can't drive up to them". Never mind that stopping isn't allowed anyway on those streets. I don't understand the logic.

I work in a small town in the UK that is being slowly killed by people driving through the centre either looking for a free parking spot of just because it shortens their journey by a minute or so. And yes, these are the people who believe their freedom to do so is what's keeping the town alive - despite much evidence to the contrary (ie. many closed down businesses).

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#185

Post by AnimalMuppet »

tomtheelder wrote: post #100
ghaff wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Absolutely no one is advocating removing cars from those areas. You'll find plenty of people here who will be happy to argue that living outside of dense cities is unsustainable and has to end. They're wrong. But it's their opinion.

I engage pretty heavily with civic & transit planning, and I've never heard someone argue that in my entire life. If that is an opinion held by some, they are certainly a minuscule minority.

Here you go: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21764675

On this very thread.

Mind you, I would agree that it's an opinion held by a minuscule minority. It's also wrong. But it's out there. It's even here on HN.

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#186

Post by peterwwillis »

spats1990 wrote: post #23
pif wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and ... ? What's exactly your point?

Just thought I'd toss it in there as a sort of topping or garnish for the article. Private cars in urban areas are incredibly inefficient from just about any direction you choose to view it from.

Well they're efficient for use cases that any other transportation option doesn't work for. Just like a bus is very efficient at moving 80 people in one direction, a car is efficient at moving one person in 80 directions.

If we didn't have private cars, businesses couldn't efficiently do things like deliveries, and individual people couldn't make trips that are outside the scope of public transit. So to replace them entirely we still need to fill those gaps.

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#187

Post by earthboundkid »

dahfizz wrote: post #54
benrbray wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America is certainly decades (if not centuries) behind in public transportation. However, these CityLab articles are doing a great thing by highlighting our unhealthy dependence on cars and making it a part of everyday conversation. If we're ever going to change we need to start by agreeing there is a problem and discussing realistic solutions. I don't quite understand your point about the "technological and class di…

The EU is over 3x as population dense as the USA. Any plan to make the USA transportation system to look like the EU's is doomed to failure from the beginning. You need to be realistic. You are never going to win hearts and minds by railing against cars - Americans love their cars, and for good reason. A bus is not going to pick you up at your front door the second you walk out, and it's not going to drop you directl…

There's no point in comparing the EU and the US as wholes. What matters is the density of a particular urban core. Many American cities have dense cores. Beyond the obvious big three off the top of my head some cities I have visited that could support some closed streets in the core: DC, SF, Baltimore, Philly, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Portland, Honolulu, Charleston, Dallas. No one is suggesting changing everything everywhere, but large cities do exist in every corner of the country.

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#188

Post by tomphoolery »

The only real reason why we don't have car-free side streets in Philly (the ones that are too skinny for a car to get through anyway, forcing people to park on one of the sidewalks) is due to handicapped people becoming immobilized. I like the concept, but I'm curious how it will be implemented whilst also solving the problems for a large percentage of the population...

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#189

Post by noobermin »

dahfizz wrote: post #54
benrbray wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America is certainly decades (if not centuries) behind in public transportation. However, these CityLab articles are doing a great thing by highlighting our unhealthy dependence on cars and making it a part of everyday conversation. If we're ever going to change we need to start by agreeing there is a problem and discussing realistic solutions. I don't quite understand your point about the "technological and class di…

The EU is over 3x as population dense as the USA. Any plan to make the USA transportation system to look like the EU's is doomed to failure from the beginning. You need to be realistic. You are never going to win hearts and minds by railing against cars - Americans love their cars, and for good reason. A bus is not going to pick you up at your front door the second you walk out, and it's not going to drop you directl…

Sure if you include rural areas. Some places in the US are just as dense as European cities, just woefully inefficiently managed. You can't fix LA traffic without getting people out of cars.

You can't have both, you can't complain about congestion yet talk about how Americans love their cars. You get both the congestion and deaths and pollution and GHG's with over-reliance on cars and there is no magic fix to it other than having less people drive.

Re: Car-Free Streets Will Soon Be the Norm

#190

Post by spookybones »

52-6F-62 wrote: post #178
ourlordcaffeine wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. Whenever there is talk about pedestrianizing a street in my town, the usual suspects immediately claim that this will make local businesses go bankrupt since "people can't drive up to them". Never mind that stopping isn't allowed anyway on those streets. I don't understand the logic.

Toronto? We literally had an outspoken opponent of a traffic reduction program (not even totally car-free) build an ice statue that flipped the bird to passers-by in protest. In the end I think he cost himself business because of his attitude. You're not alone in not understanding. The program (called the King St Pilot Project here in TO) has made taking that street as a transit user and pedestrian far more palatable…

Amazing. Sounds like a Parks and Recreation episode.
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