CBBarnett
Senior Member
I‘m always in support of more “balanced” transportation system which will inevitably include cars.
The problem is that arguing for “balance” in transportation today in practice is arguing for the status quo - which is far closer to complete hegemonic dominance of cars over everyone else. It’s meekly asking for a more “balanced” form a government when you’ve been ruled for a century in a one-party dictatorship. The game is rigged.
The needs of commuting cars are so different, so space inefficient, with so many extreme pollution, noise and safety issues that are largely paid for by the communities drivers pass through, that you can’t feasibly balance these needs of commuting drivers and the needs of everyone else.
What would actual balance look like in transportation? Maybe something like:
- 30km/h everywhere except controlled access freeways.
- No free street parking and no street designs that assume car storage is the responsibility of the public right-of-way.
- No exceptions to minimum pedestrian widths for sidewalks, barrier free movement by design standard everywhere.
- safe pedestrian crossings at every intersection, no exceptions.
- Public sidewalk snow plowing.
- Protected cycle tracks on all major roads, in every part of the city with no missing links.
If my version of “balanced” transportation is too extreme for all areas of the city, surely it’s very applicable to areas of the city where cars have the largest negative impact and where the majority of trips are non-car already - such as the inner city.
