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Ever notice how the streets behave more like mini-freeways? That's one thing cities and suburbs have in common; car traffic is given the priority in virtually every case. Can't single out the 'burbs in this regard because its true in the big cities as well. Non-freeway traffic in both are allowed to move along at near-highway speeds at all hours of the day, that is when traffic isn't inching along in bumper-to-bumper gridlock which seems to be more often than not. The pedestrian is a distant afterthought, in contrast to other areas of the developed world where the pedestrian is king of the street:
Outside of rush hours, what's the average car speed on a typical non-freeway street in the US? 35-45 mph? You have the many lead-foots who speed along well above posted limits and their average is more like 50 mph. I'm guilty of being a lead-foot myself at times. And I can't really blame people for driving so fast. The street in America is very wide first of all, made of asphalt which is designed for you to do just that....to drive as fast as you possibly can without killing anyone. Well at least in theory no one's supposed to die. God help you if you're a pedestrian.
Doesn't help that the built landscape is not very pretty to begin with, so you don't want to spend a second more gazing upon it than you have to. All the better if your windows are tinted to help you obscure the ghastly sight of it. Indeed most cars do come pre-tinted these days so that's something to be grateful for. Again, I don't want to single out the burbs for being ghastly in appearance because the neglected crumbling inner cities of America might be even more ghastly to look at. Though it does tend to make for an appropriate setting for the celebration of Halloween doesn't it? So feel free to put the pedal to the medal like you're in the Indy 500. In order to get from here to there as quickly as you can without having to look at anything along the way because there's not much worth looking at. Driving like a bunch of speed demons while under the influence of several Redbulls, cussing out the guy in front of you as you attempt to suppress your road rage...sounds familiar? It seems to be our national past time.
tl;dr
editorializing aside, are you referring to the practice of limited access roads?
of neighborhood streets routed to fewer and fewer larger side streets that empty into the
larger commuter roads?
Just the general nature of non-side streets. Though even in residential side street, car traffic is still priority at 25mph posted limit but real world speeds probably more like 30-35 moving quite fast.
It's called mobility. In many ways, it often makes sense to sweep all traffic that needs to move quickly into main arterials, as opposed to dispersing it across various side streets.
Even in Manhattan, you find streets like Houston or Bowery which - while still very pedestrian friendly - have been built for through traffic. Most great cities around the world have these types of streets.
Now, cities like Phoenix, where every road is essentially a 6-8 lane higway - that's a completely different story!
It's called mobility. In many ways, it often makes sense to sweep all traffic that needs to move quickly into main arterials, as opposed to dispersing it across various side streets.
Even in Manhattan, you find streets like Houston or Bowery which - while still very pedestrian friendly - have been built for through traffic. Most great cities around the world have these types of streets.
Now, cities like Phoenix, where every road is essentially a 6-8 lane higway - that's a completely different story!
This is true. Life in America is all about speed and hyper-efficiency, productivity, in which quality of life issues are rarely considered. We're treated more like machines than human beings. There doesn't seem to be much balance.
Though I do have to question the efficiency of trucking in hundreds of miles every little product big and small that we ever consume from tomatoes to jeans to Ipods where it is grown in the ground or made in the factory. Then having to drive miles to the store in our personal vehicles on top of that. Seems not a very efficient way of doing things.
Though I do have to question the efficiency of trucking in hundreds of miles every little product big and small that we ever consume from tomatoes to jeans to Ipods where it is grown in the ground or made in the factory. Then having to drive miles to the store in our personal vehicles on top of that. Seems not a very efficient way of doing things.
Yeah, but even if things are sourced more locally, we still need some type of freight mobility. And, even with the best public transit, there will still be a need for single-occupancy vehicle mobility.
I guess my point is we will always need those types of roads (well, at least until we run out of oil), but it's a matter of consolidating them and positioning them in a way that disrupts pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit the least. It's all about integrating those roads in a way doesn't mess up the urban fabric of a city. But if you didn't have roads like that, all the side streets would be a giant parking lot or filled with speeding cars/trucks, and that's definitely not good for pedestrians.
Again, in cities where they just build huge higway-style roads for their own sake (Phoenix, Houston, etc), I think that's a problem. I'm all for road diets wherever possible.
There should be a happy medium. I dont like how parking provision here in England is severly restricted to discourage car usage. It doesnt seem to work, instead cluttering streets with parked cars and increasing congestion. Countering that, i dont like the lack of provision of 'sidewalks' in american developments.
Last time i was in the states my hotel was in an out of town development, i thought i would walk across to the shops as they were less than half a mile away and visible from the hotel instead of going to the hassle of taking the car. Despite being dressed normally i seemed to get lots of stares from people in cars/trucks as if i was some kind of drifter up to no good or something, as if 'walking' was some kind of alien thing.
Despite being dressed normally i seemed to get lots of stares from people in cars/trucks as if i was some kind of drifter up to no good or something, as if 'walking' was some kind of alien thing.
Walking (and bicycling too) are both well regarded here with the understanding being that neither can be used for anything actually functional in your life aside from the exercise you'll get. This is why "bicyclists" must all wear those absurd Lycra and spandex costumes to show that they are being frivolous and have both the time and dosh to do so.
As for walkers, they're supposed to stay on the paths that wend through lovely park like settings (usually butting up against the worst parts of town and used by those locals overnight for all sorts of delightful practices the evidence of which will remain right on the path) which require that you go five miles or more out of your way before still not getting anywhere near the shops when they do let you out. Then of course there are the paths to nowhere whatsoever; often the disused railbeds between lovely renovated (formerly abandoned) stations where vendors are happy to sell you $5us coffee's and biscotti or croissant.
The absurd costumes that the bicyclists must submit to are optional for these recreational walkers...
but not having the right shoes, water bottle and pack will earn demerits.
hth
Last edited by MrRational; 10-30-2011 at 08:08 AM..
Though I do have to question the efficiency of trucking in hundreds of miles every little product big and small that we ever consume from tomatoes to jeans to Ipods where it is grown in the ground or made in the factory. Then having to drive miles to the store in our personal vehicles on top of that. Seems not a very efficient way of doing things.
In the manner of time, it is very efficient to use trucks. I don't know what the price difference between truck and rail is, but there was a time when the railroads were pricing themselves out of the market for everything but bulk commodities (minerals, grain, etc).
What has happened is in the past many products were made locally. Every city had canneries and several creameries (they processed local dairy products). Many brands were regional. Brands of radios and appliances, for example, weren't available nationally. A company may have made radios in Los Angeles and that brand was only sold in the Southwestern part of the country. Grocery chains were limited to a metro area and sold local and regional brands. Most items sold by department stores were local and regional brands. Now Whirlpool owns Maytag, Amana and about another dozen brands which are shipped out of a handful of factories to big box stores, which also sell imported appliances which are shipped from boat to port to truck to store in giant shipping containers.
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