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Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

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Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#51

Post by rollcat »

mettamage wrote: post #30
CalRobert wrote: post #19

My favourite thing about living in the Netherlands is that kids have freedom. They can bike to school, their friends’ houses, sports, town etc and parents aren’t their taxi. Growing up in suburban California I was basically in an outdoor prison until I could drive.

> Growing up in suburban California I was basically in an outdoor prison until I could drive. Having grown up in the Netherlands and having a decision to make where we want our kids to grow up (US spouse), this feels painful to read. I suppose the SWE salaries aren't worth it. Also this is one of the best towns to cycle in the Netherlands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-TuGAHR78w&ab_channel=NotJu...

Shout out to @NotJustBikes in general. Infrastructure should be built for humans first. This benefits cars as well: more accessible for walking / cycling / public transport = less congested for when you do need a car.

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#52

Post by silvestrov »

stephen_g wrote: post #4

I think the thing that really struck a chord with me about car-centric development, as someone who lives in a city with fairly poor public transport (by certain standards, it would actually be quite good if it were in the US) and where driving is the norm for getting around - Prioritising cars actually makes things worse for drivers. We spend many tens of billions of dollars a year on roads in my state and traffic in…

Car oriented people seriously underestimate how many people that can be transported in a subway train and how much highway space it would take to transport the same number of people in cars.

One subway line can transport more people than even the widest existing highway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Passenger_Capacity_of_dif...

(edit: spelling)

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#53

Post by seszett »

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #36
cm2187 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Can’t say I’ve ever heard anyone equating unionized workers to terrorists.

It actually happens quite often in France coming from right-wing politicians.

Strikers are "hostage takers", demonstrators are "vandals", etc. It's all part of the theatre to discredit opposition.

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#54

Post by xyst »

IFC_LLC wrote: post #8

It's all fine and dandy until you realize that economy pays a big buck for faster and more comfortable ways of transporting a body. (And it's been this way since time memorial). You either transport your body fast, or you are missing out. And the greatest thing to miss out is an opportunity. While programmers can live in one room for years and just use Zoom for everything, others can't. Sorry to say, but most of my E…

What a shitty take.

> You either transport your body fast, or you are missing out. And the greatest thing to miss out is an opportunity.

This is what’s known as "fomo". Arguments driven on fear never sustainable.

Also apparently you have never been stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in the aftermath of a massive event. Or maybe county closes major roadway for repairs. Or a _single_ motor vehicle accident brings an entire highway to a halt for _hours_ (many people rubber necking as well …)

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#55

Post by lm28469 »

cm2187 wrote: post #31
nemomarx wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the union strike is so inconvenient, management should agree on a deal promptly.

[flagged]

Imagine having a brain so polluted by partisan politics that a thread about public infrastructure and cars is derailed into "france is being invaded by islam" in literally two comments...

Unplug your brain for the twitter matrix and go outside my dude, there is a whole life out there that isn't populated by grumpy terminally ill people who think everyone is plotting to slit their throat at the first opportunity

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#56

Post by abraxas »

markus_zhang wrote: post #11
stephen_g wrote: post #4

I think the thing that really struck a chord with me about car-centric development, as someone who lives in a city with fairly poor public transport (by certain standards, it would actually be quite good if it were in the US) and where driving is the norm for getting around - Prioritising cars actually makes things worse for drivers. We spend many tens of billions of dollars a year on roads in my state and traffic in…

Public transit needs a lot of money and time so I'm not sure it's even doable for many NA cities. One middle point I think might be more reachable is to build good transit for the busiest part of the city (downtown) and build large parking lots around the terminals, so people can still drive to the terminal and then switch to bus. I live in a suburb on the Montreal island and this is the model the city is trying to b…

> Public transit needs a lot of money and time so I'm not sure it's even doable for many NA cities.

Is this a joke? I grew up in Poland, a relatively poor country (and used to be a lot poorer) and in most cities it has public infrastructure that flagship North American cities can barely dream of. It's not a question of money but of societal priorities.

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#57

Post by ljf »

mytailorisrich wrote: post #28
loloquwowndueo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Car infrastructure also takes a lot of money and time. Remember how long it took to reconfigure the Turcot Interchange - a few years later you still (already?) have bumper to bumper traffic during rush hours there anyway. Public transport gives much better ROI for more people - you don’t need the added expense of the car to benefit from it.

> Public transport gives much better ROI for more people That's a bold claim without data.

Just did some very light googling - building out, repairing and developing new road infrastructure seems to have around 2:1 or 2.5:1 ROI - Public transport, active transport seems to have around 4:1 to 5:1 ROI.

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#58

Post by goosedragons »

prmoustache wrote: post #12
stephen_g wrote: post #4

I think the thing that really struck a chord with me about car-centric development, as someone who lives in a city with fairly poor public transport (by certain standards, it would actually be quite good if it were in the US) and where driving is the norm for getting around - Prioritising cars actually makes things worse for drivers. We spend many tens of billions of dollars a year on roads in my state and traffic in…

I am with you. It is not only about lanes but also parking. My in laws live in a very car centric city and it is crazy the way all distances are multiplied when everything need a dedicated parking space. There is almost nothing left at walking distance and every time I visit I have the feeling I spend all my day in a car instead of ... doing stuff.

This was one of the things I realized living in a very car friendly city without a car. SO SO MUCH of my walking was just walking past/through GIANT parking lots.

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#59

Post by CalRobert »

colejohnson66 wrote: post #42
CalRobert wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might I suggest bikes are a great form of private mobility?

But that's not a personal pod on a pseudo-train that a tech-bro could sell me

I’m sure we can find a way to make cargo bikes a status symbol.. hoodmaps already shows the part of Utrecht I couldn’t afford as cargo bike moms :-)

Re: Pontevedra, Spain declares its entire urban area a "reduced traffic zone"

#60

Post by maxerickson »

dijit wrote: post #45
stephen_g wrote: post #4

I think the thing that really struck a chord with me about car-centric development, as someone who lives in a city with fairly poor public transport (by certain standards, it would actually be quite good if it were in the US) and where driving is the norm for getting around - Prioritising cars actually makes things worse for drivers. We spend many tens of billions of dollars a year on roads in my state and traffic in…

I completely agree. You've hit on the central, infuriating paradox of car-centric cities. We're told that building more roads will bust congestion, but the exact opposite happens. It's a self-destructive cycle and a betrayal of drivers. We're sold a promise of freedom and speed, but what we get is a constant, grinding battle. We spend our lives in traffic and our wallets on fuel/tax, and the very infrastructure meant…

I suppose it is because Florida has a lot of modern development, but the number of disconnected subdivisions there is relatively extreme. In much of the US you can easily walk to the thing you can see.
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