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The Stroad

strongtowns.org

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Re: The Stroad

#121

Post by occz »

cscurmudgeon wrote: post #80
_robbywashere wrote: post #21

I couldn’t agree more with the article. Unfortunately as for America I think people wouldn’t be very happy with turning their stroads into streets. There is a very toxic self centered car culture here; any impediment to it real or imaginary will make people very angry.

> There is a very toxic self centered car culture here; any impediment to it real or imaginary will make people very angry. I have seen more comments and people talking about this toxic car culture than seen it in real life. Not everyone is young, healthy and rich enough to bike. There is a historic racial divide. White folks live in more bike friendly places. https://theconversation.com/the-unbearable-whiteness-of-c…

Luckily, basically everyone who advocates for bicycle infrastructure also advocates for public transportation, which as I understand it in the U.S is more utilized by less privileged groups.

I find it hilarious that anyone would ever try to start a debate making the standpoint that car-oriented development would be the less racist alternative, what with highways inside cities having been used to absolutely ravage areas where non-whites have lived, and suburbs basically having entirely excluded non-whites, by both economic and non-economic means. Not to mention the added economic strain of owning a car, making it even worse for those who are less well off economically.

Re: The Stroad

#124

Post by pensatoio »

gibolt wrote: post #57

For anyone interested in this topic, I highly recommend this channel's series. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJp5q-R0lZ0_FCUbeVWK6OGLN... 'Not Just Bikes' has a ton of other great videos on the channel about what infrastructure makes a good city and what makes one hostile to residents.

Not Just Bikes is one of my favorite channels. So happy to see recognition on HN.

Re: The Stroad

#125

Post by ehnto »

p1mrx wrote: post #118
ehnto wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how much that specific road design cause FedEx to discourage left hand turns in their routes?

If I go somewhere often, I like to find the "chill route" that minimizes complex left turns, even if it takes a bit longer.

Same, I don't even mind if it takes a bit longer. I am more interested in stress free driving than getting there sooner.

Re: The Stroad

#126

Post by jake_morrison »

kryogen1c wrote: post #31
wffurr wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every time I end up on a five lane road with the center turning lane and tons of curb cuts and cross streets and abutting parking lots, I remind myself that it's one of the most dangerous places I am likely to be in.

> one of the most dangerous places I am likely to be in. i dont know how widely this turn of phrase is used, but where i grew up in the US, we called the middle turn lane in a 5 lane road the suicide lane.

I spent a summer in India in the late 1980s (Tamil Nadu). Going between cities, the roads were only partially paved. There were two dirt lanes, with a blacktop middle lane. The trucks would play a continuous game of "chicken", driving at each other until someone lost their nerve.

The newspaper had regular reports of truck "capsizings", where a truck would lose control and turn over. It was common for a truck to have laborers who would fill up the truck with some bulk product like dirt, then ride on the top to go to the destination, then unload it. When one of these trucks capsized, it was a major disaster.

Re: The Stroad

#127

Post by [deleted] »

cozzyd wrote: post #85
adgjlsfhk1 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there's a very simple solution then. build more walkable places.

If only it were so simple. Building walkable places is illegal almost everywhere in the US due to onerous parking minimums, regulations about street design and restrictive zoning. It's still possible to build walkable places with highrises, but low-rise walkable areas like https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9181247,-87.6517955,3a,60y,7... are almost lost art in the US. There are entire major metro areas in the US with n…

[deleted]

Re: The Stroad

#129

Post by aimor »

Where are the details to back up this call to action? I want to see how much more financially productive it is to replace a stroad with a separate street and road. I see these commercial through roads all over, they handle so much traffic compared to streets, it's hard to believe they decrease value in medium density population areas.

Re: The Stroad

#130

Post by sokoloff »

cozzyd wrote: post #56
eggsmediumrare wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likewise in Ontario. Strong term, but gets the point across. I also once saw a dump truck with stickers on either side of the tailgate. On the left, "passing side." On the right, "suicide." Had a big impact on my driving habits... I never, ever pass on the right.

Unfortunately the majority of people don't seem to understand they're not allowed to pass on the right (and they never get pulled over for it).

If slower traffic kept right, there’d be a lot less passing on the right. (If you’re getting passed on the right regularly, you might consider your own lane discipline as well as that of those passing you.)
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