Jan Gehl writes, "Pedestrian underpass systems had the additional disadvantage of being dark and dank, and people generally feel insecure if they are unable to see very far ahead. In short, the often expensive pedestrian underpasses and bridges were in conflict with the basic premises for good pedestrian landscapes. Seen in the perspective of current visions of inviting people to walk and bicycle more in cities, clearly pedestrian underpasses and bridges can only be solutions in those special cases where major highways must be crossed. Solutions must be found for all other roads and streets that allow pedestrians and bicycles to stay on street level and cross with dignity. An integrated traffic model will also make city streets friendlier and safer as cars will have to move more slowly and stop more often.
Today the world is full of abandoned pedestrian underpasses and bridges. They belong to a certain time and a certain philosophy." Read the complete article and see photos here.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Bike Safety increases with greater bike numbers
Washington DC Transportation Department's Jim Sebastian wants to make DC the most bike friendly city in the country, they are #6 in the nation now. Their 9 year plan started with a Bicycle Master Plan to build bike routes, lanes, and trails. Jim says it is the job of city planning departments, police departments, school districts or developers to knock down barriers to bicycle mobility. Local bike commuter Lori Leibowitz says bike safety improves with greater bike numbers, greater numbers teach auto commuters of their presence. See the BBC story and video here.
Let's $tart the Laguna Beach Car-Free Project
So you noticed the traffic in Laguna Beach and you're bracing for the busy summer tourist season? Santa Barbara sees traffic spoiling their town too, they write "Vehicles are a major source of smog pollution and greenhouse gases contributing to global climate change. The Santa Barbara Car Free Project is a cooperative partnership founded in 1998 and led by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District for cleaner air and a healthier planet."
Car-free discounts are one intervention measure to reduce the number of automobiles using city streets. Santa Barbara has implemented a car-free plan where hotels, rentals and dining are discounted if you arrive by other means than a private car. Read the complete story here.
Car-free discounts are one intervention measure to reduce the number of automobiles using city streets. Santa Barbara has implemented a car-free plan where hotels, rentals and dining are discounted if you arrive by other means than a private car. Read the complete story here.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Pedestrian Deaths Preventable
Over the last decade 47,700 pedestrians were killed and 688,000 were injured nationwide in automobile related traffic accidents. A startling statistic shows the relationship of pedestrian fatalities to vehicle speeds. In "Dangerous by Design" by Transportation for America page 27 says (simplified):
"Confirming the risk of vehicle speed, our analysis of NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database shows that nearly 60 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred on roads with speed limits of 40 mph or greater. In contrast, only 1 percent of the 45,294 pedestrian deaths ... occurred on roads with a speed limit of 20 mph or lower."
Slowing the traffic on South Coast Highway at the Hip District and Laguna Canyon Road at Broadway would balance mixed mobility on these multi-use roadways and greatly contribute to pedestrian safety. The executive summary recommends the provisions of Complete Streets nationwide to improve pedestrian safety. Read the full report here.
"Confirming the risk of vehicle speed, our analysis of NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database shows that nearly 60 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred on roads with speed limits of 40 mph or greater. In contrast, only 1 percent of the 45,294 pedestrian deaths ... occurred on roads with a speed limit of 20 mph or lower."
Slowing the traffic on South Coast Highway at the Hip District and Laguna Canyon Road at Broadway would balance mixed mobility on these multi-use roadways and greatly contribute to pedestrian safety. The executive summary recommends the provisions of Complete Streets nationwide to improve pedestrian safety. Read the full report here.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Freedom from Oil, a new D.C. policy proposal consistent with Complete Streets
June 2 2011 Washington DC: The Congressional Livable Communities Task Force released a set of policy proposals they say will lead to "Freedom from Oil." These policy proposals are consistent with Complete Streets Policy to reduce dependency on imported oil, improve safety, revitalize the business district.
Here's a snip from the Executive Summary:
"Providing a range of transportation choices can help break auto dependence, giving us freedom from the increasing costs and uncertainty associated with oil... As gas prices have risen, transportation costs have become unsustainable... As severely congested roadways consume our financial resources, our time, and our quality of life, Americans are demanding more and better choices in where to live and how to get around... giving residents the option to walk, bike, or take public transportation if they prefer not to drive.
... Actions as simple as combining short car trips or replacing them with walking or biking can result in significant oil savings for the nation." Read the full article in BikePortland here.
Here's a snip from the Executive Summary:
"Providing a range of transportation choices can help break auto dependence, giving us freedom from the increasing costs and uncertainty associated with oil... As gas prices have risen, transportation costs have become unsustainable... As severely congested roadways consume our financial resources, our time, and our quality of life, Americans are demanding more and better choices in where to live and how to get around... giving residents the option to walk, bike, or take public transportation if they prefer not to drive.
... Actions as simple as combining short car trips or replacing them with walking or biking can result in significant oil savings for the nation." Read the full article in BikePortland here.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Bike Lanes Good for Business? YES!
Our CDM hero, Frank Peters, writes a great article on how bike lanes, sharrows and traffic calming helps businesses grow. It creates new customers, increased foot and cycling traffic and a safer community.
Read this article in his Cycling Safety column in in CoronadelMarToday: Don't Tell Them
Well worth a read, business owners of Laguna Beach.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Get Inspired by Portland
Portland, OR is doing a trial street closure this summer. They are taking a downtown street block and closing it to cars. Businesses have agreed to pay the city for the metered parking income that they will "lose" during the June-October time period, an amount of $5K.
Imagine Forest Avenue closed to cars! The restaurants and shops could spill into the sidewalks. Families, groups of tourists, young and old getting together with friends or going solo and people watching at a sidewalk cafe.
It's a vision...can you see it?
Read the Portland story in BikePortland.org
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Complete Streets Legislation Introduced to the US Senate
We are going federal, people! So far complete streets legislation has been local and state supported, but Monday Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011 was introduced into the US Senate.
Read the article in AltTransport.
This is not a fad...the un-car way of being is for real...and it could raise a city's property values, I'm lookin' at you, Laguna Beach! :)
Monday, May 23, 2011
LA Cyclists Hoping for City Council to Make Streets Safer
Here is an excerpt from the article by Regina Graham:
"Cyclists feel that they are second-class citizens in a city that is well known for its love affair with cars. They think that the city is slow in making the necessary improvements for them to be safe on the road and have a number of issues with riding their two wheels in the city."
“This proposal, this anti-harassment proposal, allows cyclists take action independently of any reliance upon the city,” .... “It creates a private cause of action that allows cyclists that are the victims of discrimination on the road way to pursue the matter civilly, rather than wait for law enforcement to act.”
It targets motorists who physically assault, attempt to assault a bicyclist, intentionally injure, threaten to physically injure either by words, vehicle, or other objects and intentionally distract or attempt to distract a bicyclist."
Other cities are adopting such anti-harassment legislation, how often are you being harassed in Laguna Beach while walking or biking our streets? Tell us your stories, we will post them.
Peak Oil: A Chance to Change the World
For advice about life after graduation, students at Worcester Polytechnic wanted to hear from peak oil scholar Richard Heinberg instead of Exxon’s CEO. Click here to read what he told them.
This is an excerpt from his essay/speech in Yes! Magazine:
"But here’s the thing. Everyone knows that America and the world will have to transition off of fossil fuels during this century anyway. Mr. Tillerson knows it as well as anyone. Some people evidently want to delay that transition as long as possible, but it cannot be put off indefinitely. My colleagues at Post Carbon Institute and I believe that delaying this transition is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons. Obviously, it prolongs the environmental impacts from fossil fuel production and combustion. But also, the process of building a renewable energy economy will take decades and require a tremendous amount of investment. If we don’t start soon enough, society will get caught in a trap of skyrocketing fuel prices and a collapsing economy, and won’t be in a position to fund needed work on alternative energy development.
In my darker moments I fear that we have already waited too long and that it is already too late. I hope I’m not right about that, and when I talk to young people like you I tend to feel that we can make this great transition, and that actions that have seemed politically impossible for the past forty years will become inevitable as circumstances change, and as a new hearts and minds comes to the table.
Even in the best case, though, the fact that we have waited so long to address our addiction to oil will still present us with tremendous challenges. But this is not a problem for ExxonMobil, at least not anytime soon. When the price of oil goes up, we feel the pain while Exxon reaps the profits. Even though Exxon’s actual oil production is falling due to the depletion of its oilfields, corporate revenues are flush: Exxon made almost $11 billion in profits in just the past three months. This translates to jobs in the oil industry. But how about the renewable energy industry, which everyone agrees is the key to our future?"
In my darker moments I fear that we have already waited too long and that it is already too late. I hope I’m not right about that, and when I talk to young people like you I tend to feel that we can make this great transition, and that actions that have seemed politically impossible for the past forty years will become inevitable as circumstances change, and as a new hearts and minds comes to the table.
Even in the best case, though, the fact that we have waited so long to address our addiction to oil will still present us with tremendous challenges. But this is not a problem for ExxonMobil, at least not anytime soon. When the price of oil goes up, we feel the pain while Exxon reaps the profits. Even though Exxon’s actual oil production is falling due to the depletion of its oilfields, corporate revenues are flush: Exxon made almost $11 billion in profits in just the past three months. This translates to jobs in the oil industry. But how about the renewable energy industry, which everyone agrees is the key to our future?"
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