1) I absolutely LOVE scramble streets. So glad you brought that up.
B) We moved to Columbia, MO, about 7 years after the city received a $25M grant to make the place more walkable and bikable. Basically, we were able to get just about anywhere in a safe (and, generally, timely) via very safe bike path (or non-road adjacent trail) and it was phenomenal. Obviously the Arkansas summer makes foot-driven travel a bit more challenging, but I miss having that infrastructure all the time.
It seems to me that your small town is a particularly difficult place to make less car/traffic oriented. To a huge extent, the economy is based on tremendous numbers of non-residents coming for a day or a week, and a whole bunch of them need to get, every day, from south of town to north of town, and back. But there's only a limited number of roads they can take, because of that huge man-made transportation feature -- the very purpose of the town's creation -- that divides north and south. Your out-of-town guests, the people who are paying the bills, care a whole lot about how quickly they can get through your town, and little to nothing about how you and your kids live your lives. (Except not getting in their way).
Then there's the northeast flow: even back when I lived there in the 70s, it seemed like getting the thru-trucks off downtown city streets would be a worthwhile project. I suppose building out the KM Ranch Road and making that 93 would be (a) a huge safety and quality of life improvement for people in town and (b) enough of a hit to merchants in town that you'd see torches and pitchforks at any meeting suggesting it.
That was a trip! Thanks. Here in Seattle the city speed limit is 25 from 30 or 35 just a few years ago, and the sides of the roads have been filled in with bike lanes and pregnant transit stops that put buses in the traffic lane. I think that will work out well in a city with more transit than 10 years ago. Seattle's light rail is finally here in the north end.
I agree with Eric on the timeline thingee and tech. People walk around looking at their phones all the time. On transit, no one talks with each other anymore. It won't take a century. We're seeing people changing before our eyes.
The good news in the city is traffic calming and more room for kids who have no cars at all.
I'd like to see public streets in cities become parks full of trees, hedgerows, vegetable farms to make amends to the climate gods for cutting down all our forests.
It may happen. After that-- take out the interstate that runs through Seattle and use the space to create social housing.
FYI
https://wapo.st/3AIU4BM
1) I absolutely LOVE scramble streets. So glad you brought that up.
B) We moved to Columbia, MO, about 7 years after the city received a $25M grant to make the place more walkable and bikable. Basically, we were able to get just about anywhere in a safe (and, generally, timely) via very safe bike path (or non-road adjacent trail) and it was phenomenal. Obviously the Arkansas summer makes foot-driven travel a bit more challenging, but I miss having that infrastructure all the time.
III) Have you taken a dive into these geniuses? https://thecityfix.com/blog/naked-streets-without-traffic-lights-improve-flow-and-safety/
As always, great shit!
It seems to me that your small town is a particularly difficult place to make less car/traffic oriented. To a huge extent, the economy is based on tremendous numbers of non-residents coming for a day or a week, and a whole bunch of them need to get, every day, from south of town to north of town, and back. But there's only a limited number of roads they can take, because of that huge man-made transportation feature -- the very purpose of the town's creation -- that divides north and south. Your out-of-town guests, the people who are paying the bills, care a whole lot about how quickly they can get through your town, and little to nothing about how you and your kids live your lives. (Except not getting in their way).
Then there's the northeast flow: even back when I lived there in the 70s, it seemed like getting the thru-trucks off downtown city streets would be a worthwhile project. I suppose building out the KM Ranch Road and making that 93 would be (a) a huge safety and quality of life improvement for people in town and (b) enough of a hit to merchants in town that you'd see torches and pitchforks at any meeting suggesting it.
There's probably a metaphor here for technology.
This is spot on, Nia; thank you very much!
That was a trip! Thanks. Here in Seattle the city speed limit is 25 from 30 or 35 just a few years ago, and the sides of the roads have been filled in with bike lanes and pregnant transit stops that put buses in the traffic lane. I think that will work out well in a city with more transit than 10 years ago. Seattle's light rail is finally here in the north end.
I agree with Eric on the timeline thingee and tech. People walk around looking at their phones all the time. On transit, no one talks with each other anymore. It won't take a century. We're seeing people changing before our eyes.
The good news in the city is traffic calming and more room for kids who have no cars at all.
I'd like to see public streets in cities become parks full of trees, hedgerows, vegetable farms to make amends to the climate gods for cutting down all our forests.
It may happen. After that-- take out the interstate that runs through Seattle and use the space to create social housing.