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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"

#821

Post by int_19h »

komali2 wrote: post #276
yourusername wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I'm not cramped into a single valid sitting position. No during rush hour you're more likely to be cramped into a single valid standing position.

This isn't my experience, but I understand some countries have overloaded public transit systems. When I've been in those countries, it's been simple enough to just let an overloaded train pass and grab the next one.

During the rush hour, the next train is going to be just as packed. And if you wait long enough for things to quiet down, you're not going to be at work on time.

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

#822

Post by int_19h »

osigurdson wrote: post #145
forinti wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen many times how some people react to a single bus lane or even a tiny bicycle lane as though cars are getting the raw end of the deal when 90%+ of infrastructure is for cars.

Some cities build dedicated bike paths. This is much nicer as you aren't fighting with cars that way.

It's nicer for the drivers too because you don't have to lag behind a slow-moving bike in a single lane.

And, more abstractly, if a dedicated bike lane means more people taking the bicycle, that also means fewer cars on the road, making it that much more pleasant for those who continue to drive.

Speaking as someone who enjoys driving, I'm all for dedicated bike lanes, even if that means reducing car lanes.

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

#823

Post by CHB0403085482 »

deltarholamda wrote: post #225
powvans wrote: post #10

This is really amazing to see trending on HN. I spent a couple days in Pontevedra this summer while walking the Camino de Santiago. It was absolutely delightful and what I experienced aligns with the article. The old town was filled with wide streets almost exclusively for walking, cafes and restaurants that sprawled into plazas, and people young and old enjoying the car free public space. It was one of the first sto…

>Where it exists you can see that there is tremendous demand for it. Everybody loves public transit until they get panhandled for the jillionth time, or they witness (or experience) violence, or some other anti-social behavior sours the whole thing. I spent some time in NYC during the Giuliani years, after the city did a lot of work cleaning it all up: stopping turnstile jumpers, removing graffiti, more police, etc.…

>Everybody loves public transit until they get panhandled for the jillionth time, or they witness (or experience) violence, or some other anti-social behavior sours the whole thing.

Tokyo got this solved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KMYAEIXVzA

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

#824

Post by Fricken »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #578
Fricken wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My daily bicycle commute takes me right through the heart of my city's homeless district, and like with many cities things have gotten a lot worse since COVID. Cars are far and away the biggest threat to my safety, and the source of all the harrassment I receive while out in public. I mean, every now and then some guttersnipe blurts out incoherencies at me, but that's not something to be afraid of. I regard driving,…

[flagged]

Drivers mostly hate other drivers but they do occasionally take some time to hate other road users as well.

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

#825

Post by chairmansteve »

xyzelement wrote: post #331

I love walking - both in places as a tourist, in NYC where I lived most of my life, and in my small north shore Long Island town today. But similar to any other "product" the evaluation depends on the user's needs. As a single guy I loved that NYC was dense and walkable - because that meant (among other things) literally millions of date-able women within a 30 minute walk radius of my house. Great! Now as a dad of 3…

I understand what you are saying. I raised my kids in an American suburb. But I grew up in a European town.

In places like Pontevedra, the kids can walk on their own to all the activities, once they are old enough. And nobody really needs a car. I didn't learn to drive until I was 23.

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

#826

Post by goosejuice »

FuriouslyAdrift wrote: post #719
goosejuice wrote: post #709

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny, I find Wrigleyville oppressive. I lived by that red line for a few years. It takes a lot of patience to live there.

When I lived there it was middle class Polish and gay (since Boystown is right next to it). Pierogis, coffee, and cute little shops. That and great music.

I was right by Halsted and Addison. By oppressive I mean brutal in a sense. The drunks falling into the street. People shitting in my alley. Trying to get on and off the red line during a game. The huge crowds. Fights on the El platform. Cat calling. Harassment. People sleeping in my stairwell.

It was rather eventful let's say. I just didn't really know what I was getting into being new to the city. It's pretty amazing what you grow accustom to.

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

#827

Post by baby »

ascagnel_ wrote: post #443
baby wrote: post #161

I'm always wondering how Americans feel traveling to Europe and being able to walk in cities. It must be so surreal that they either have to move, or they can't fathom that these cities are practical to live in.

To me, it's a big reason why Americans love Disney World: you can drive to your local airport, fly to Florida, take a shuttle bus to your resort (that handles your luggage for you), and then rely on Disney's private network of bus routes, monorails, gondolas, boats, etc., instead of having to drive yourself. In fact, if you use their transportation network, you actually get somewhat better treatment: in all of the pa…

That's what I used to tell my friends in France: "I think Americans see France like a theme park, they really enjoy it but they think it's not possible to live there, they probably just think it's a nice place to visit"

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

#828

Post by baby »

jhickok wrote: post #226
baby wrote: post #161

I'm always wondering how Americans feel traveling to Europe and being able to walk in cities. It must be so surreal that they either have to move, or they can't fathom that these cities are practical to live in.

Believe it or not, we do have cities in the US with walkable areas :) I am in Madison, Wisconsin and we have a number of areas like State Street where walking is the norm: https://visitdowntownmadison.com/ By and large this is not the case but it isn't as if it's unimaginable what it would be like.

I've visited Madison and really liked it, but I wouldn't compare it to the walkability of any European city

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

#829

Post by baby »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #244
baby wrote: post #161

I'm always wondering how Americans feel traveling to Europe and being able to walk in cities. It must be so surreal that they either have to move, or they can't fathom that these cities are practical to live in.

New York City at least is extremely walk able/bike able and car unfriendly.

I live in New York as a European and damn, it's very pedestrian unfriendly, you have to cross these large roads everywhere, so much noise pollution, roads are so large. It's still the most pedestrian friendly city in the US, and that's why I'm here, but incomparable with Europe

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

#830

Post by erentz »

jandrewrogers wrote: post #702
erentz wrote: post #693

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet Seattle has very few pedestrianized spaces for the size of the city. It’s as car dominated and sprawling as any major North American city.

Difficult to call it sprawling given the geography, and I don't know what "pedestrianized" even means here since walking in many neighborhoods is both common and designed for. There is plenty of accommodation for vehicles in Seattle, that is true. Even people that walk everywhere often own one in order to take advantage of the prodigious outdoor activities for which the region is famous.

It’s definitely very sprawling from Olympia to Mt Vernon. We only just managed to pedestrianize Pike Place Market. I struggle to think of a pedestrian neighborhood. Just cuz you can walk doesn’t rise to that level. Ballard no. It’s all cars and car parks. Fremont no. U district no. Cap Hill no. Queen Anne no. West Seattle no. They’re all car dominated neighborhoods without much pedestrian space and poor accommodation for cycling too.
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