dasgeh
Forum Replies Created
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@VikingMariner 184000 wrote:
Anyway–I’m just stirring the pot a little (not trolling…not yet).
Not singling anyone out. Please take no offense. Using offensive language in your posts isn’t helping your cause. Please stop.
Also, your reading of the article seems to be colored by your bias. For example, you wrote:
@VikingMariner 184036 wrote:
“Yes, car owners are furious. That’s because they have mistaken their century-long domination over pedestrians for a right rather than a privilege. The truth is that cities are not doing nearly enough to restore streets for pedestrian use, and it’s the pedestrians who should be furious.”
Motorists and cyclists should be “furious” at each other? Come on, man.
You see there how you inserted the “at each other” into the argument? That’s not in the article.
@mstone 184049 wrote:
No, it’s absolutely correct: there is only so much right of way in the built environment, and since we’ve devoted almost all of that space to cars over the past 50 years, the only way to increase the amount of space for other modes is to reallocate some of it away from cars.
I would just add that we *could* increase the amount of space we dedicate to transportation, but doing so would be expensive. We’d have to tear down homes, destroy parks, impact rivers, tunnel underground (which, ps, is not at all a new idea, even with Elon’s name behind it), or build above, all of which has HUGE costs. It’s not exactly zero sum — we could raise taxes and spend tons of money — but it’s a lot like zero sum. And when location is important (i.e. curb space right in front of a school), then yes, it is exactly zero sum.
@VikingMariner 184098 wrote:
My dream is to have a network of bike trails throughout the entire region that keep me away from cars (and the less viscous forms of pollution) since “protected” bike lanes is a failed concept from day one. My dream also includes pedestrian sidewalks next to the trails to separate them from faster traffic associated with bikes. The trails would have safe exits away from major road arteries and highways. Ain’t got time to play Don Quixote with cars, son. Bikes are a fundamentally different form of transportation than walking or driving in a big metal box. I also want bridges/tunnels over/under every major artery. Inside the city, elevated or underground tracks that have no cars are part of my dream. Declare war on a majority of transportation users is more of a nightmare or pissing into the wind. I dream of paths that accommodate four riders across in at least one direction and are well-lighted at night, with coffee shops along the way. I want that dream to come true, not the dream you speak of, sir. I have no desire to muck the lives of other people in pursuit of my dream. The market place will soon kill the combustion engine anyway. I have no interest in those critical-mass power plays against strangers. I believe my dream is more feasible and expedient than declaring war on the majority’s way of life. My dream makes it possible to recruit the majority to our way of thinking. Everybody lay down your weapons and pick up some flowers to give to the opposition.
Have you been to Rosemary Beach, Florida (yes, Florida)? The trails aren’t super wide, and they don’t have over/underpasses, but there are basically two “street” grids – one for cars and one for people walking and biking. Houses generally sit between a car-street and a bike/ped-path. It’s a very pleasant way to live, and telling that a ritzy planned community made those choices. As a result, almost all rentals come with cruiser bikes, and all retail had ample bike parking. With one big run to the grocery store (not in the town or nicely bike accessible) at the beginning of the week, you could go a week without driving.
