Walking To Become Normal Again
One of the few ‘Democrats vs. Republicans’ blogs I occasionally read is Eschaton - written by a liberal dude who talks like a normal human being and knows a lot about economics. He often writes with more than a little tinge of dark humor. I have disagreed with, and actually consider to be shameful, some of the things he’s written, but I agree with the overwhelming majority of his takes. Now that the first ‘Urban President’ is about to assume office, more of the mainstream liberal blogs are talking about things like transit, mixed-use development, car-sharing — you name it. This take on the about-to-open Phoenix light rail line is pretty funny:
Blocks!
I don’t know Phoenix at all so don’t have any opinion whether the light rail system there makes any sense (I mean, over and above my general feeling that they should be built everywhere), but I loved this from a hater:
- I can’t wait for all the complaints we’ll hear once the temperature is 110 degrees . . . and the riders find no shade (has anyone looked at those useless wings provided for shade?) while waiting and, worst of all, will have to walk blocks to get where they want to go.
You might have to walk blocks!
In my opinion, we should get people to stop thinking that there are going to be ways to take motorized transport from their doorsteps to their destinations. Even for those of us that live in the city, many of us still have some kind of expectation that there will be some form of motorized transport within a couple of blocks of our front doorsteps. I don’t agree with this view.
I think San Francisco (and the world) will be at its absolute best when most people walk to most of their destinations most of the time. And when they have to go a bit further, or if they’re in a hurry, or if they want to have fun, they’ll bike. To travel longer distances, people will use rail.
In the city - at least in San Francisco - some people know that it is possible to walk to certain places. We have to continue to push the idea that walking and biking environments should be given priority above motorized traffic. More people will walk further if we give them decent places to walk - decent environments to walk in. These places cannot just be safe, they have to be pleasurable. And this means slowing down, thinning, and eventually eliminating motorized traffic. Cars are too scary and too loud — they are anti-human — and we should not work so hard to tolerate them. The psychological strain that cars put on us all - from blaring horns and loud engines and broken tailpipes and squeaky brakes and noise from the rubber wheels speeding across the pavement — it’s too much. All of this noise is too shocking to the senses — it damages our psyche and our health — we need a more humane environment. Cars have to go.
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November 30th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
“we should get people to stop thinking that there are going to be ways to take motorized transport from their doorsteps to their destinations. ” …but Peter, what about PRT?!?!?! hahaha- just kidding!
As for the concepts of walking/driving in non-urban areas, it’s a long road coming. I’m visiting the folks right now and when I told friends where I rode to/from the other day, people couldn’t grasp that it was bikeable– it’s the built environments fault, tho- not the individuals. Build it for cars, people only think in car-centric ways…
November 30th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Traditionally, there has been a “sprawl is best” type of development attitude in Phoenix. Downtown Phoenix has been almost a ghost town at night unless there is a sporting event. Light Rail is helping to change that mind set. We are far from the San Francisco vibrancy but are turning the corner. Light Rail opens on December 27th here and it will be a lot of fun to watch people finally begin to embrace public transportation. btw, the bike racks on the light rail cars look pretty cool.
December 1st, 2008 at 12:01 pm
yeah, mcas, the suburbs will be an interesting case study, that’s for sure.
i was thinking that it would be kind of a cool job to be trained in this new urbanist-type stuff - retrofitting suburbs to be sustainable, but i’m thinking it would basically suck - people would just hate you for trying to change their way of life. who knows, though - human culture is weird.