I can't stress enough that today's post is about showing what's possible.
This past week in LA they opened a subway line that goes from downtown to UCLA. There's another that has been open for a while from downtown to Santa Monica.
For decades people said it couldn't be done. Places like Beverly Hills fought the projects with any disingenuous excuse they could find.
But it happened - in LA. In 5, 10, 15 years, who knows? LA could look like a completely different place.
Maybe one small "baby step" for US cities would be to limit or even ban tractor trailers from city surface roads. When I lived in Baltimore and Phoenix, semi drivers would make deliveries of items that could be made by a smaller panel truck or van. The larger trucks blocked traffic by double parking and always had difficulty navigating narrow city streets and tight turns. Of course this would take political will which is sorely lacking in the face of money politics but if NYC can successfully implement congestion pricing, perhaps it's possible.
Now, I would add some nuance. Paris has a great Metro. That is something v. difficult to retro fit. It buys you room to make those bike lanes and pedestrian areas.
It is also hard to retro fit transit routes.
And, we still need to allow for businesses to be supplied. During a big deal recent world championship bike event so many roads were blocked off that businesses ceased to function. The city council sang their own praises and in fact attendance numbers were pitiful!
Urban planning is a thing which produces beauty. That should not be at cost of balance or business.
This is actually one area where we don't require nuance. I've seen "nuance" halt progress in cities, from an urban planning perspective, one too many times. Speaking generally, many people say they want to introduce nuance to stop what they don't want to happen from happening. To preserve the status quo.
The idea that bikes block deliveries or emergency vehicles is an argument detractors always make. It couldn't be more absurd really. It's far more difficult to get around bottlenecked auto traffic than it is bicycles. Obviously. That this even needs to be pointed out shows how disingenuous that argument is in the first place. It's like saying it's harder to go through a door when it's closed than when it's open.
Vehicles that need to access Paris have access. In fact, in areas where cars have been banished, taxis, delivery drivers, and emergency vehicles actually have the space to themselves. It's pretty incredible. They might have to wait a few seconds to maybe a minute get around bikes and people; not valuable minutes or more when they literally can't move due to congestion. And, in my experiences, cyclists and pedestrians are far faster, more likely, and open to moving than a person in their two-ton cocoon.
There's literally no argument against what they've done that holds water.
Pollutions has been more than halved in the city. The terraces, cafés, and restaurants are full throughout the city, but with a calm few places have because they haven't been as bold as Paris. Thanks, by the way, to a Spaniard!
I can't stress enough that today's post is about showing what's possible.
This past week in LA they opened a subway line that goes from downtown to UCLA. There's another that has been open for a while from downtown to Santa Monica.
For decades people said it couldn't be done. Places like Beverly Hills fought the projects with any disingenuous excuse they could find.
But it happened - in LA. In 5, 10, 15 years, who knows? LA could look like a completely different place.
Maybe one small "baby step" for US cities would be to limit or even ban tractor trailers from city surface roads. When I lived in Baltimore and Phoenix, semi drivers would make deliveries of items that could be made by a smaller panel truck or van. The larger trucks blocked traffic by double parking and always had difficulty navigating narrow city streets and tight turns. Of course this would take political will which is sorely lacking in the face of money politics but if NYC can successfully implement congestion pricing, perhaps it's possible.
Nice photos.
Now, I would add some nuance. Paris has a great Metro. That is something v. difficult to retro fit. It buys you room to make those bike lanes and pedestrian areas.
It is also hard to retro fit transit routes.
And, we still need to allow for businesses to be supplied. During a big deal recent world championship bike event so many roads were blocked off that businesses ceased to function. The city council sang their own praises and in fact attendance numbers were pitiful!
Urban planning is a thing which produces beauty. That should not be at cost of balance or business.
This is actually one area where we don't require nuance. I've seen "nuance" halt progress in cities, from an urban planning perspective, one too many times. Speaking generally, many people say they want to introduce nuance to stop what they don't want to happen from happening. To preserve the status quo.
The idea that bikes block deliveries or emergency vehicles is an argument detractors always make. It couldn't be more absurd really. It's far more difficult to get around bottlenecked auto traffic than it is bicycles. Obviously. That this even needs to be pointed out shows how disingenuous that argument is in the first place. It's like saying it's harder to go through a door when it's closed than when it's open.
Vehicles that need to access Paris have access. In fact, in areas where cars have been banished, taxis, delivery drivers, and emergency vehicles actually have the space to themselves. It's pretty incredible. They might have to wait a few seconds to maybe a minute get around bikes and people; not valuable minutes or more when they literally can't move due to congestion. And, in my experiences, cyclists and pedestrians are far faster, more likely, and open to moving than a person in their two-ton cocoon.
There's literally no argument against what they've done that holds water.
Pollutions has been more than halved in the city. The terraces, cafés, and restaurants are full throughout the city, but with a calm few places have because they haven't been as bold as Paris. Thanks, by the way, to a Spaniard!
Rocco. My comment was very specific to what happens when for a multi-day event, planners for events don’t respect local business.
Have not been to Paris is a while. Time to go and check out progress.