by Aaron Naparstek on February 26, 2009 StreetsBlog.org
New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan unveiled plans to pedestrianize a large swath of Broadway in Midtown Manhattan ...
...Extending from 59th Street at Columbus Circle to 23rd Street at Madison Square with substantial pedestrian-only areas at Times and Herald Squares, Mayor Bloomberg's plan for Broadway is, arguably, the boldest and most transformative street reclamation project since Portland, Oregon decided to tear down Harbor Drive in 1974...
Construction on the street redesign -- which is being presented as a pilot project and being built with temporary materials -- will start in May and continue through August...
...Sadik-Khan said she expected the bike lane would mainly be used by tourists and pedicabs. The bicycle rental company Bike & Roll is considering setting up a rental facility somewhere along the route. [more]
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Dim the Traffic Lights?
Saving energy by making useof eyes' sensibility to contrast
By Professor Hugo D Godoy Azar
(extract)
"...I invite you to try an exercise of observation that clearly illustrates our idea:At night, proceed to a wide straight avenue, if possible 500-metres long, with traffic lights working at the end. You will see that despite the distance, you will be able to see clearly the lamps of the traffic lights, which have a minimum of between 75 and 150 watts. Wait until a car arrives and stops at the lights. You will be able to see clearly its rear lights – of 5 watts! Intriguing, isn’t it?..." [more]
By Professor Hugo D Godoy Azar
(extract)
"...I invite you to try an exercise of observation that clearly illustrates our idea:At night, proceed to a wide straight avenue, if possible 500-metres long, with traffic lights working at the end. You will see that despite the distance, you will be able to see clearly the lamps of the traffic lights, which have a minimum of between 75 and 150 watts. Wait until a car arrives and stops at the lights. You will be able to see clearly its rear lights – of 5 watts! Intriguing, isn’t it?..." [more]
Smart Code
The SmartCode is a model transect-based development code available for all scales of planning, from the region to the community to the block and building. The code is intended for local calibration to your town or neighborhood. As a form-based code, the SmartCode keeps towns compact and rural lands open, while reforming the destructive sprawl-producing patterns of separated use zoning.SmartCode Central collects all the important components of transect-based planning in one place. We provide files of the latest versions of the model SmartCode and supplementary Modules, including new sustainability standards. We also link to calibrators, attorneys, and town planners who do significant work with the SmartCode.
The SmartCode was released by Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company (DPZ)in 2003, after two decades of research and implementation.
The code is open source and free of charge.
[download pdf of the code]
The SmartCode was released by Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company (DPZ)in 2003, after two decades of research and implementation.
The code is open source and free of charge.
[download pdf of the code]
Road Trip
by Jim Kunstler author of The Geography of Nowhere, The Long Emengency, World Made By Hand etc.
(extract from his blog)
...The New Urbanists had not set out to build monuments to Yuppie-Boomer consumerism, but a peculiar destiny shoved them into that role for a while – even while they toiled elsewhere around the nation to reform town planning laws and generally provide an antidote to the fatal cultural cancer of sprawl, that is, of a settlement pattern guaranteed to comprehensively bankrupt our society. Anyway, the collapse of the housing bubble has affected the New Urbanists' business, too, and this may turn out to be a very good thing because they can put aside the distractions of building very grand places to sop up ill-gotten wealth and focus on the issues that Mr. Obama's people should have been paying attention to all along, namely, how are we going to reform the way we live in this country and what will be the physical manifestation of how we live in the decades to come.
The New Urbanists have preached for years that conventional suburbia would fail America in the long run, and that we'd have to prepare for this failure by restoring traditional modes of occupying the landscape. So far, the Obama team has not been willing to identify the suburban system as the heart of our economic problem. They can't recognize it for what it truly is: a living arrangement with no future – and an economic, ecological, and spiritual disaster. It is, of course, the primary reason why we find ourselves in the deadly predicament of importing over two-thirds of the oil we use every day. But then, more than half the population lives the suburban way of life, with its deadly mortgage traps, its mandatory motoring, and its civic disengagements. Nobody in power dares tell the truth: that we can't live this way anymore. But there are scores of places like Montgomery, Alabama, and thousands of traditional main street small towns that are sitting out there waiting to be re-activated. We need to do this much more than we need to build new freeways to the beach. Suburbia is not going to be abandoned overnight (even if it fails logistically and economically !) but we have got to arrive at a consensus about rehabilitating our forsaken small cities and small towns. The New Urbanists have gathered, organized, and codified all the principle and methodology needed to carry out this campaign. This should be their moment. Mr. Obama and his team should get with the program.
(extract from his blog)
...The New Urbanists had not set out to build monuments to Yuppie-Boomer consumerism, but a peculiar destiny shoved them into that role for a while – even while they toiled elsewhere around the nation to reform town planning laws and generally provide an antidote to the fatal cultural cancer of sprawl, that is, of a settlement pattern guaranteed to comprehensively bankrupt our society. Anyway, the collapse of the housing bubble has affected the New Urbanists' business, too, and this may turn out to be a very good thing because they can put aside the distractions of building very grand places to sop up ill-gotten wealth and focus on the issues that Mr. Obama's people should have been paying attention to all along, namely, how are we going to reform the way we live in this country and what will be the physical manifestation of how we live in the decades to come.
The New Urbanists have preached for years that conventional suburbia would fail America in the long run, and that we'd have to prepare for this failure by restoring traditional modes of occupying the landscape. So far, the Obama team has not been willing to identify the suburban system as the heart of our economic problem. They can't recognize it for what it truly is: a living arrangement with no future – and an economic, ecological, and spiritual disaster. It is, of course, the primary reason why we find ourselves in the deadly predicament of importing over two-thirds of the oil we use every day. But then, more than half the population lives the suburban way of life, with its deadly mortgage traps, its mandatory motoring, and its civic disengagements. Nobody in power dares tell the truth: that we can't live this way anymore. But there are scores of places like Montgomery, Alabama, and thousands of traditional main street small towns that are sitting out there waiting to be re-activated. We need to do this much more than we need to build new freeways to the beach. Suburbia is not going to be abandoned overnight (even if it fails logistically and economically !) but we have got to arrive at a consensus about rehabilitating our forsaken small cities and small towns. The New Urbanists have gathered, organized, and codified all the principle and methodology needed to carry out this campaign. This should be their moment. Mr. Obama and his team should get with the program.
Just step out, pedestrians are told. Drivers will stop
Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent , The Times
Pedestrians are being encouraged to walk out in front of cars and traffic lights have been removed in a unique experiment on Britain’s roads.
Drivers no longer have the right of way on the ring road in Ashford, Kent, and have to negotiate their way across junctions, with no signs or lines to guide them. All road users, whether travelling on foot, by bicycle, car or bus, have equal priority and must use eye contact to decide who goes first...
...But Ashford is the first place to introduce the purest form of shared space, under which traffic lights are considered not only unnecessary but a potential cause of collisions.
The theory is that lights lull people into a false sense of security, meaning that they pay less attention on a green light and fail to notice someone stepping off the pavement.... [more]
Videos here and here
Pedestrians are being encouraged to walk out in front of cars and traffic lights have been removed in a unique experiment on Britain’s roads.
Drivers no longer have the right of way on the ring road in Ashford, Kent, and have to negotiate their way across junctions, with no signs or lines to guide them. All road users, whether travelling on foot, by bicycle, car or bus, have equal priority and must use eye contact to decide who goes first...
...But Ashford is the first place to introduce the purest form of shared space, under which traffic lights are considered not only unnecessary but a potential cause of collisions.
The theory is that lights lull people into a false sense of security, meaning that they pay less attention on a green light and fail to notice someone stepping off the pavement.... [more]
Videos here and here
Cities try to improve crosswalk safety
By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY
Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are ramping up efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.
A pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to federal data. Crosswalks can be especially perilous for the elderly. ..
In 2006, 471 pedestrians nationwide were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 10 years earlier, according to the NHTSA. Several factors contribute to danger at crosswalks:
•Highways are designed and built primarily to accommodate vehicles, not pedestrians.
•Most pedestrian accidents at intersections involve turning vehicles. Drivers who routinely fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks run little risk of being cited unless they actually strike a pedestrian.
•About one-third of pedestrian deaths result from their disobeying traffic signals or using poor judgment, according to federal data.
see story of yet another crosswalk accident in Ashland on Feb. 18. 2009 :
Car Hits Woman Crossing
Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are ramping up efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.
A pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to federal data. Crosswalks can be especially perilous for the elderly. ..
In 2006, 471 pedestrians nationwide were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 10 years earlier, according to the NHTSA. Several factors contribute to danger at crosswalks:
•Highways are designed and built primarily to accommodate vehicles, not pedestrians.
•Most pedestrian accidents at intersections involve turning vehicles. Drivers who routinely fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks run little risk of being cited unless they actually strike a pedestrian.
•About one-third of pedestrian deaths result from their disobeying traffic signals or using poor judgment, according to federal data.
see story of yet another crosswalk accident in Ashland on Feb. 18. 2009 :
Car Hits Woman Crossing
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
A Road Diet for Ashland?
see- Road Diet Handbook: Setting Trends by Livable Streets by Jennifer A. Rosales, P.E.
Safety benefits:
– Reduced vehicle speeds
– Reduced conflict points
– Improved sight distance
- Improved pedestrian & bike safety
Read the Rosales handbook here or Dan Burden's 1999 paper on Road Diets here
Interviewed on JPR's Jefferson Exchange 10/10/08 , John Fregonese, former Ashland Planning Director stated:
"...We did an Ashland Street plan. It was one of the last things I did when I was here.......I think the idea was to try to make Ashland Street - which quite frankly has got two extra lanes - I mean, you could really take two more lanes out of that and make it a more livable, pedestrian-friendly street. It just doesn't justify the number of lanes it has for the traffic..."
Would a Road Diet also work for North Main between Maple and Downtown Ashland ?
Safety benefits:
– Reduced vehicle speeds
– Reduced conflict points
– Improved sight distance
- Improved pedestrian & bike safety
Read the Rosales handbook here or Dan Burden's 1999 paper on Road Diets here
Interviewed on JPR's Jefferson Exchange 10/10/08 , John Fregonese, former Ashland Planning Director stated:
"...We did an Ashland Street plan. It was one of the last things I did when I was here.......I think the idea was to try to make Ashland Street - which quite frankly has got two extra lanes - I mean, you could really take two more lanes out of that and make it a more livable, pedestrian-friendly street. It just doesn't justify the number of lanes it has for the traffic..."
Would a Road Diet also work for North Main between Maple and Downtown Ashland ?
Will new town embrace shared space too?
...Two public meetings were held last week at Shadoxhurst Village Hall and Great Chart Primary School to give residents the chance to see how the Chilmington Green and Discovery Park area of Ashford will be developed...one of the proposals would be to roll out a similar shared space scheme as recently unveiled in Elwick Road. The scheme blurs the boundaries of roads and paths giving more power to pedestrians and slowing down traffic flows.
National experts on 'place-making' were brought in to help and advise on the best ways forward... [more]
National experts on 'place-making' were brought in to help and advise on the best ways forward... [more]
Helmets Safer..or Not?
Elle Macpherson's child bicycle bungle
This is how the UK's Daily Mirror described the incident:
...Elle Macpherson is not exactly a model mum - as she cycles along with her son perched precariously on the handlebars.
Elle, 44, seemed oblivious to the dangers as she laughed and chatted with [son] Aurelius Cy while weaving through busy West London streets... [more]
The Guardian's Simon Jenkins however had a different opinion:
Elle Macpherson deserves a medal...
The press are idiots to condemn the model for cycling without a helmet. The real villains are over-active traffic managers
...Macpherson was probably the safest cyclist in London that day. Like the mayor [of London] , Boris Johnson, she is signed up (I guess by instinct) to the Wilde-Adams theory of compensatory risk assessment. By not wearing a helmet, she lowers her risk threshold and thus rides more carefully. She commendably cycles rather than drives a car and protects her child, who cannot manage his own risk. The society should give her a medal, not insult her. The press were idiots.
By chance, this week sees the publication of another tome in the mountain of evidence that Britain's safety culture is making us increasingly unsafe. Tom Vanderbilt's Traffic collates a mass of evidence about how we drive cars and use roads. It demonstrates the extent of mendacious brain-washing inflicted on the public by health-and-safety lawyers, bureaucrats and sellers of expensive equipment...Galileo had the same trouble with the Inquisition. I say give Elle Macpherson a Galileo medal. [more]
What do YOU think?
This is how the UK's Daily Mirror described the incident:
...Elle Macpherson is not exactly a model mum - as she cycles along with her son perched precariously on the handlebars.
Elle, 44, seemed oblivious to the dangers as she laughed and chatted with [son] Aurelius Cy while weaving through busy West London streets... [more]
The Guardian's Simon Jenkins however had a different opinion:
Elle Macpherson deserves a medal...
The press are idiots to condemn the model for cycling without a helmet. The real villains are over-active traffic managers
...Macpherson was probably the safest cyclist in London that day. Like the mayor [of London] , Boris Johnson, she is signed up (I guess by instinct) to the Wilde-Adams theory of compensatory risk assessment. By not wearing a helmet, she lowers her risk threshold and thus rides more carefully. She commendably cycles rather than drives a car and protects her child, who cannot manage his own risk. The society should give her a medal, not insult her. The press were idiots.
By chance, this week sees the publication of another tome in the mountain of evidence that Britain's safety culture is making us increasingly unsafe. Tom Vanderbilt's Traffic collates a mass of evidence about how we drive cars and use roads. It demonstrates the extent of mendacious brain-washing inflicted on the public by health-and-safety lawyers, bureaucrats and sellers of expensive equipment...Galileo had the same trouble with the Inquisition. I say give Elle Macpherson a Galileo medal. [more]
What do YOU think?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Shared-Use Streets
An Application of “Shared Space” to an American Small Town
by Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman
[excerpted from a paper presented to 3rd Urban Street Symposium,June 24-27, 2007 Seattle, Washington]
Langley, Washington, a semi-rural town of 1,050 people, is expected to grow by 40 to 100 percent over the next 20 years. One of the town’s biggest assets is its pedestrian friendly character, which is currently supported by low traffic volumes.
Anticipating this growth, the City is developing new street design standards to support all users and modes. One of the new street types is “shared-use,” which mixes pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers in a low-speed environment that emphasizes the community function of the street... [more]
by Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman
[excerpted from a paper presented to 3rd Urban Street Symposium,June 24-27, 2007 Seattle, Washington]
Langley, Washington, a semi-rural town of 1,050 people, is expected to grow by 40 to 100 percent over the next 20 years. One of the town’s biggest assets is its pedestrian friendly character, which is currently supported by low traffic volumes.
Anticipating this growth, the City is developing new street design standards to support all users and modes. One of the new street types is “shared-use,” which mixes pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers in a low-speed environment that emphasizes the community function of the street... [more]
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Intersection Repair
by Clarence Eckerson, Jr. on May 31, 2007
Ever dreamed of making the streets outside your abode more livable, pedestrian-friendly, and community-oriented?
City Repair in Portland, Oregon hosts an annual Village Building Convergence where hundreds of people come together to build diverse projects for the benefit of their communites and to take back their streets via a process known as the Intersection Repair.This involves painting streets with a high-visiblity mural that creates a public square for residents to gather and one which gently encourages drivers to slow down when approaching these spaces. Over time the neighbors further enhance the transformation by adding amenities like benches, community bulletin boards, and introducing gardens & art. As you'll see, the possibilites are endless.StreetFilms visited three of the Intersection Repairs and spoke with Mark Lakeman co-founder of City Repair, Greg Raisman, the Portland DOT Liason, and scores of residents & volunteers about why they were doing it.
[watch the video]
Ever dreamed of making the streets outside your abode more livable, pedestrian-friendly, and community-oriented?
City Repair in Portland, Oregon hosts an annual Village Building Convergence where hundreds of people come together to build diverse projects for the benefit of their communites and to take back their streets via a process known as the Intersection Repair.This involves painting streets with a high-visiblity mural that creates a public square for residents to gather and one which gently encourages drivers to slow down when approaching these spaces. Over time the neighbors further enhance the transformation by adding amenities like benches, community bulletin boards, and introducing gardens & art. As you'll see, the possibilites are endless.StreetFilms visited three of the Intersection Repairs and spoke with Mark Lakeman co-founder of City Repair, Greg Raisman, the Portland DOT Liason, and scores of residents & volunteers about why they were doing it.
[watch the video]
Monday, February 16, 2009
Removing Roads and Traffic Lights Speeds Urban Travel
Urban travel is slow and inefficient, in part because drivers act in self-interested ways
By Linda Baker - Scientific American Jan 2009
...The idea is that the absence of traffic regulation forces drivers to take more responsibility for their actions. “The more uncomfortable the driver feels, the more he is forced to make eye contact on the street with pedestrians, other drivers and to intuitively go slower,” explains Chris Conway, a city engineer with Montgomery, Ala.
Last April the city converted a signalized downtown intersection into a European-style cobblestone plaza shared by cars, bikes and pedestrians—one of a handful of such projects that are springing up around the country... [more]
By Linda Baker - Scientific American Jan 2009
...The idea is that the absence of traffic regulation forces drivers to take more responsibility for their actions. “The more uncomfortable the driver feels, the more he is forced to make eye contact on the street with pedestrians, other drivers and to intuitively go slower,” explains Chris Conway, a city engineer with Montgomery, Ala.
Last April the city converted a signalized downtown intersection into a European-style cobblestone plaza shared by cars, bikes and pedestrians—one of a handful of such projects that are springing up around the country... [more]
Signal Failure
By MICHAEL BRUNTON Time.com
For decades, traffic engineer Hans Monderman had a hair-raising way of showing off his handiwork to anyone who took the trouble to visit his native northern Dutch province of Friesland. He would walk backward, arms folded, into the flow of traffic, and without horn-honking or expletives, drivers would slow or stop to let him safely cross to the other side. Monderman's stunt was an act of faith in the concept of "shared space," a radical street-design principle he quietly pioneered in more than 120 projects... Monderman explained that removing signs forces you "to look each other in the eye, to judge body language and learn to take responsibility — to function as normal human beings."
...Monderman long argued that the overuse of signage was due to a misguided culture of risk avoidance among town planners. "Each time someone complains," he told TIME, "something gets added to the system. And no one asks if it's effective." [more]
(To see Hans' stunt, watch videos on right.)
For decades, traffic engineer Hans Monderman had a hair-raising way of showing off his handiwork to anyone who took the trouble to visit his native northern Dutch province of Friesland. He would walk backward, arms folded, into the flow of traffic, and without horn-honking or expletives, drivers would slow or stop to let him safely cross to the other side. Monderman's stunt was an act of faith in the concept of "shared space," a radical street-design principle he quietly pioneered in more than 120 projects... Monderman explained that removing signs forces you "to look each other in the eye, to judge body language and learn to take responsibility — to function as normal human beings."
...Monderman long argued that the overuse of signage was due to a misguided culture of risk avoidance among town planners. "Each time someone complains," he told TIME, "something gets added to the system. And no one asks if it's effective." [more]
(To see Hans' stunt, watch videos on right.)
Streetless in Seattle
An innovative shared-space design is taking shape in the city’s developing South Lake Union neighborhood.
...The Terry Avenue North street-design guidelines, which cover a six-block stretch linking downtown to Lake Union, radically depart from the standard American approach to traffic design. Instead of segregating vehicles and pedestrians, the project aims to encourage people to share a single travel lane with slow-moving cars. “We’re breaking some conventions here,” says Lyle Bicknell, the city’s urban-design project manager for Terry Avenue North.
Bankrolled by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen and his company, Vulcan, the once languishing industrial district is evolving into a world-class mixed-use biotechnology hub...[more]
An innovative shared-space design is taking shape in the city’s developing South Lake Union neighborhood.
...The Terry Avenue North street-design guidelines, which cover a six-block stretch linking downtown to Lake Union, radically depart from the standard American approach to traffic design. Instead of segregating vehicles and pedestrians, the project aims to encourage people to share a single travel lane with slow-moving cars. “We’re breaking some conventions here,” says Lyle Bicknell, the city’s urban-design project manager for Terry Avenue North.
Bankrolled by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen and his company, Vulcan, the once languishing industrial district is evolving into a world-class mixed-use biotechnology hub...[more]
Try Shared Space in Ashland ?
by Steve Ryan
I see two threads here and below, that are relevant to Ashland:
First, it will take a critical mass of data supporting fewer accidents using shared space, to remove opposition to experimenting with shared space here in Ashland, but, there are enough case studies here on this blog alone, to make a compelling argument that we should at least try shared space here in Ashland, in as controlled a situation as possible, and
Second, I wonder if shared space works best when there are enough pedestrians present so that car drivers have to be careful: Perhaps in a high-pedestrian traffic area like Ashland's plaza/ downtown couplet, there would be enough pedestrians as to make the drivers careful, whereas on a higher-speed strip with fewer pedestrians, say North Main coming into town, we may want to be careful implementing shared space at first, because of the higher vehicle speeds and risk of human life.
But, it does seem Ashland has a very appropriate crucible for an experiment with shared space in our downtown, where vehicle speeds are lower and there are enough peds that drivers will be wary: We should consider experimenting with a shared space model, as there seems to be quite a growing body of evidence shared space can deliver more safety for everyone in appropriate situations.
Many thanks to Mr. Swales for saving us all what looks like many hours in research here; I vote we at least discuss implementing shared space where the existing structural characteristics indicate an appropriate opportunity: the Plaza first, perhaps Siskiyou at SOU if it works on the Plaza (or vice versa?), then perhaps the entire downtown couplet if appropriate: Perhaps a subcomm for the new Transportation Commission?
We should discuss it not as something we should all go read about and think about, but as a real action item, and decide whether we should or should not try it, and by when.
For example,
1. What are the salient characteristics of a successful shared space?
2. Are any of those characteristics present in Ashland and if so, where;
3. What would it take to change to a shared space, what are costs, risks/ benefits; does benefit outweigh cost, risk;
4. Set parameters: area, time frame, monitoring, review.
Sitting at the table and saying, "Hmm, that's interesting. Adjourned" may get someone else killed. We should try it, for real, if appropriate, as soon as possible.
Steve Ryan served as one of Ashland's Bicycle/Pedestrian Commissioners and was their liaison to Ashland's Traffic Safety Commission. He co-organized Ashland's Car Free Day Sept. 2008
by Steve Ryan
I see two threads here and below, that are relevant to Ashland:
First, it will take a critical mass of data supporting fewer accidents using shared space, to remove opposition to experimenting with shared space here in Ashland, but, there are enough case studies here on this blog alone, to make a compelling argument that we should at least try shared space here in Ashland, in as controlled a situation as possible, and
Second, I wonder if shared space works best when there are enough pedestrians present so that car drivers have to be careful: Perhaps in a high-pedestrian traffic area like Ashland's plaza/ downtown couplet, there would be enough pedestrians as to make the drivers careful, whereas on a higher-speed strip with fewer pedestrians, say North Main coming into town, we may want to be careful implementing shared space at first, because of the higher vehicle speeds and risk of human life.
But, it does seem Ashland has a very appropriate crucible for an experiment with shared space in our downtown, where vehicle speeds are lower and there are enough peds that drivers will be wary: We should consider experimenting with a shared space model, as there seems to be quite a growing body of evidence shared space can deliver more safety for everyone in appropriate situations.
Many thanks to Mr. Swales for saving us all what looks like many hours in research here; I vote we at least discuss implementing shared space where the existing structural characteristics indicate an appropriate opportunity: the Plaza first, perhaps Siskiyou at SOU if it works on the Plaza (or vice versa?), then perhaps the entire downtown couplet if appropriate: Perhaps a subcomm for the new Transportation Commission?
We should discuss it not as something we should all go read about and think about, but as a real action item, and decide whether we should or should not try it, and by when.
For example,
1. What are the salient characteristics of a successful shared space?
2. Are any of those characteristics present in Ashland and if so, where;
3. What would it take to change to a shared space, what are costs, risks/ benefits; does benefit outweigh cost, risk;
4. Set parameters: area, time frame, monitoring, review.
Sitting at the table and saying, "Hmm, that's interesting. Adjourned" may get someone else killed. We should try it, for real, if appropriate, as soon as possible.
Steve Ryan served as one of Ashland's Bicycle/Pedestrian Commissioners and was their liaison to Ashland's Traffic Safety Commission. He co-organized Ashland's Car Free Day Sept. 2008
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Bendigo wins Australia Award for Urban Design
In delivering on a commitment to enhanced pedestrian amenity, safety and convenience, the Bendigo has adapted a radical mindset shift from Europe to Australian conditions. Core retail streets in the city centre are being converted, applying the ‘shared space’ approach that essentially makes streets pedestrian spaces that vehicles can enter as subsidiary users. The logic is that ambiguous uncertainty reduces speed, enhances vigilance by drivers and reduces collisions and their consequences. A by-product is greatly enhanced public areas devoted to pedestrians and passive uses.
Prosperity tied to image
It became increasingly apparent that the city’s prosperity was tied to its image, and quality was important for business. One benchmark indicator is the number of dining venues extending into public spaces. By 2008, outdoor venues had risen to 230% of the number licensed in 2000, responding to the climate, enhanced amenity and growing sophistication of the city.
[more]
In delivering on a commitment to enhanced pedestrian amenity, safety and convenience, the Bendigo has adapted a radical mindset shift from Europe to Australian conditions. Core retail streets in the city centre are being converted, applying the ‘shared space’ approach that essentially makes streets pedestrian spaces that vehicles can enter as subsidiary users. The logic is that ambiguous uncertainty reduces speed, enhances vigilance by drivers and reduces collisions and their consequences. A by-product is greatly enhanced public areas devoted to pedestrians and passive uses.
Prosperity tied to image
It became increasingly apparent that the city’s prosperity was tied to its image, and quality was important for business. One benchmark indicator is the number of dining venues extending into public spaces. By 2008, outdoor venues had risen to 230% of the number licensed in 2000, responding to the climate, enhanced amenity and growing sophistication of the city.
[more]
Swedish Shared Space scheme wins national ‘Beautiful Road Prize 2004’
No accidents after road conversion
Norrköpping is a medium size town of some 125,000 inhabitants just south of Stockholm.
Skvallertorget (Gossip Square) is a square in the town centre that five roads lead to.
Used by some 13,500 vehicles, many cyclists and at peak moments as many as 1700 pedestrians a day, it is a busy square...
...The idea was to turn the square once again into a place in which it would be altogether nice to be.
Zebra crossings and superfluous traffic signs were removed and a spacious fountain, nice benches and other street furniture were installed instead.
Those efforts were not without results; since the redevelopment there have been no accidents, mean traffic speeds of 16 to 21 kilometres per hour, road users have become quite satisfied and road safety and liveability increased.
No accidents after road conversion
Norrköpping is a medium size town of some 125,000 inhabitants just south of Stockholm.
Skvallertorget (Gossip Square) is a square in the town centre that five roads lead to.
Used by some 13,500 vehicles, many cyclists and at peak moments as many as 1700 pedestrians a day, it is a busy square...
...The idea was to turn the square once again into a place in which it would be altogether nice to be.
Zebra crossings and superfluous traffic signs were removed and a spacious fountain, nice benches and other street furniture were installed instead.
Those efforts were not without results; since the redevelopment there have been no accidents, mean traffic speeds of 16 to 21 kilometres per hour, road users have become quite satisfied and road safety and liveability increased.
Town's shared space a template for others
Ashford’s innovative – yet controversial – shared space road scheme is proving something of a trendsetter, with a host of other local authorities now considering travelling down a similar route.The blurring of pedestrian and road space in the newly created Elwick Square was initially met with concerns over safety.It reduces the speed limit to 20mph and gives pedestrians equal priority to those behind the wheel. But it has proved instrumental in breaking the restrictive collar the ring road has had on the town’s development. And now towns and cities across the UK are lining up to follow Ashford’s lead in creating an ambitious shared space scheme. A number have signalled their interest in plans to emulate the Kent town’s radical approach to urban renewal and street design.
[more]
Ashford’s innovative – yet controversial – shared space road scheme is proving something of a trendsetter, with a host of other local authorities now considering travelling down a similar route.The blurring of pedestrian and road space in the newly created Elwick Square was initially met with concerns over safety.It reduces the speed limit to 20mph and gives pedestrians equal priority to those behind the wheel. But it has proved instrumental in breaking the restrictive collar the ring road has had on the town’s development. And now towns and cities across the UK are lining up to follow Ashford’s lead in creating an ambitious shared space scheme. A number have signalled their interest in plans to emulate the Kent town’s radical approach to urban renewal and street design.
[more]
Saturday, February 07, 2009
PAVED WITH GOLD: the real value of good street design
This report presents new research that shows how good street design contributes both economic benefits and public value. It shows that investment in design quality brings quantifiable financial returns and that people value improvements to their streets. It is intended for local authorities, regional government, business, developers and investors. For the first time we can see that the best streets really are paved with gold. Paved with gold is part of a wider CABE programme that provides research, guidance and case studies aimed at promoting high-quality street design.
For more information see www.cabe.org.uk/streets
This report presents new research that shows how good street design contributes both economic benefits and public value. It shows that investment in design quality brings quantifiable financial returns and that people value improvements to their streets. It is intended for local authorities, regional government, business, developers and investors. For the first time we can see that the best streets really are paved with gold. Paved with gold is part of a wider CABE programme that provides research, guidance and case studies aimed at promoting high-quality street design.
For more information see www.cabe.org.uk/streets
Why don't we do it in the road?
A new school of traffic design says we should get rid of stop signs
and red lights and let cars, bikes and people mingle together.
It sounds insane...............but it works.
By Linda Baker - Salon.com
It's rush hour, and I am standing at the corner of Zhuhui and Renmin Road, a four-lane intersection in Suzhou, China. Ignoring the red light, a couple of taxis and a dozen bicycles are headed straight for a huge mass of cyclists, cars, pedicabs and mopeds that are turning left in front of me. Cringing, I anticipate a collision. Like a flock of migrating birds, however, the mass changes formation. A space opens up, the taxis and bicycles move in, and hundreds of commuters continue down the street, unperturbed and fatality free.
In Suzhou, the traffic rules are simple. "There are no rules," as one local told me. A city of 2.2 million people, Suzhou has 500,000 cars and 900,000 bicycles, not to mention hundreds of pedicabs, mopeds and assorted, quainter forms of transportation. Drivers of all modes pay little attention to the few traffic signals and weave wildly from one side of the street to another. Defying survival instincts, pedestrians have to barge between oncoming cars to cross the roads.
But here's the catch: During the 10 days I spent in Suzhou last fall, I didn't see a single accident. Really, not a single one. Nor was there any of the road rage one might expect given the anarchy that passes for traffic policy. And despite the obvious advantages that accrue to cars because of their size, no single transportation mode dominates the streets. On the contrary, the urban arterials are a communal mix of automobiles, cyclists, pedestrians, and small businesses such as inner-tube repairmen that set up shop directly in the right-of-way.
As the mother of two young children and an alternative-transportation advocate, I've spent the past decade supporting the installation of ever more traffic controls: crosswalks, traffic signals, speed bumps, and speed limit signs in school zones. But I'd only been in Suzhou a few days before I started thinking that maybe there's a method to the city's traffic madness -- a logic that has nothing to do with the system of prohibition and segregation that governs transportation policy in the United States.
As it turns out, I'm far from the first person to think along these lines. In fact, the chaos associated with traffic in developing countries is becoming all the rage among a new wave of traffic engineers in mainland Europe and, more recently, in the United Kingdom. It's called "second generation" traffic calming, a combination of traffic engineering and urban design that also draws heavily on the fields of behavioral psychology and -- of all subjects -- evolutionary biology. Rejecting the idea of separating people from vehicular traffic, it's a concept that privileges multiplicity over homogeneity, disorder over order, and intrigue over certainty. In practice, it's about dismantling barriers: between the road and the sidewalk, between cars, pedestrians and cyclists and, most controversially, between moving vehicles and children at play.
For the past 50 years, the American approach to traffic safety has been dominated by the "triple E" paradigm: engineering, enforcement and education. And yet, the idea of the street as a flexible community space is a provocative one in the United States, precisely because other "traditional" modes of transportation -- light rail, streetcars and bicycles -- are making a comeback in cities across the country. The shared-street concept is also intriguing for the way it challenges one of the fundamental tenets of American urban planning: that to create safe communities, you have to control them.
"One of the characteristics of a shared environment is that it appears chaotic, it appears very complex, and it demands a strong level of having your wits about you," says U.K. traffic and urban design consultant Ben Hamilton-Baillie, speaking from his home in Bristol. "The history of traffic engineering is the effort to rationalize what appeared to be chaos," he says. "Today, we have a better understanding that chaos can be productive . ..
More: http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2004/05/20/traffic_design/index.html?pn=1
A new school of traffic design says we should get rid of stop signs
and red lights and let cars, bikes and people mingle together.
It sounds insane...............but it works.
By Linda Baker - Salon.com
It's rush hour, and I am standing at the corner of Zhuhui and Renmin Road, a four-lane intersection in Suzhou, China. Ignoring the red light, a couple of taxis and a dozen bicycles are headed straight for a huge mass of cyclists, cars, pedicabs and mopeds that are turning left in front of me. Cringing, I anticipate a collision. Like a flock of migrating birds, however, the mass changes formation. A space opens up, the taxis and bicycles move in, and hundreds of commuters continue down the street, unperturbed and fatality free.
In Suzhou, the traffic rules are simple. "There are no rules," as one local told me. A city of 2.2 million people, Suzhou has 500,000 cars and 900,000 bicycles, not to mention hundreds of pedicabs, mopeds and assorted, quainter forms of transportation. Drivers of all modes pay little attention to the few traffic signals and weave wildly from one side of the street to another. Defying survival instincts, pedestrians have to barge between oncoming cars to cross the roads.
But here's the catch: During the 10 days I spent in Suzhou last fall, I didn't see a single accident. Really, not a single one. Nor was there any of the road rage one might expect given the anarchy that passes for traffic policy. And despite the obvious advantages that accrue to cars because of their size, no single transportation mode dominates the streets. On the contrary, the urban arterials are a communal mix of automobiles, cyclists, pedestrians, and small businesses such as inner-tube repairmen that set up shop directly in the right-of-way.
As the mother of two young children and an alternative-transportation advocate, I've spent the past decade supporting the installation of ever more traffic controls: crosswalks, traffic signals, speed bumps, and speed limit signs in school zones. But I'd only been in Suzhou a few days before I started thinking that maybe there's a method to the city's traffic madness -- a logic that has nothing to do with the system of prohibition and segregation that governs transportation policy in the United States.
As it turns out, I'm far from the first person to think along these lines. In fact, the chaos associated with traffic in developing countries is becoming all the rage among a new wave of traffic engineers in mainland Europe and, more recently, in the United Kingdom. It's called "second generation" traffic calming, a combination of traffic engineering and urban design that also draws heavily on the fields of behavioral psychology and -- of all subjects -- evolutionary biology. Rejecting the idea of separating people from vehicular traffic, it's a concept that privileges multiplicity over homogeneity, disorder over order, and intrigue over certainty. In practice, it's about dismantling barriers: between the road and the sidewalk, between cars, pedestrians and cyclists and, most controversially, between moving vehicles and children at play.
For the past 50 years, the American approach to traffic safety has been dominated by the "triple E" paradigm: engineering, enforcement and education. And yet, the idea of the street as a flexible community space is a provocative one in the United States, precisely because other "traditional" modes of transportation -- light rail, streetcars and bicycles -- are making a comeback in cities across the country. The shared-street concept is also intriguing for the way it challenges one of the fundamental tenets of American urban planning: that to create safe communities, you have to control them.
"One of the characteristics of a shared environment is that it appears chaotic, it appears very complex, and it demands a strong level of having your wits about you," says U.K. traffic and urban design consultant Ben Hamilton-Baillie, speaking from his home in Bristol. "The history of traffic engineering is the effort to rationalize what appeared to be chaos," he says. "Today, we have a better understanding that chaos can be productive . ..
More: http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2004/05/20/traffic_design/index.html?pn=1
Jan Gehl
"Only architecture that considers human scale and interaction is successful architecture.""First life, then spaces, then buildings – the other way around never works."
"Only architecture that considers human scale and interaction is successful architecture.""First life, then spaces, then buildings – the other way around never works."
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Shared space - Wikipedia
...A scheme implemented in London's Kensington High Street, dubbed naked streets in the press—reflecting the fact that the road has been cleared of markings, signage and pedestrian barriers, has yielded significant and sustained reductions in injuries to pedestrians. It is reported that, based on two years of 'before and after' monitoring, casualties fell from 71 in the period before the street was remodelled to 40 afterwards - a drop of 43.7%
...A scheme implemented in London's Kensington High Street, dubbed naked streets in the press—reflecting the fact that the road has been cleared of markings, signage and pedestrian barriers, has yielded significant and sustained reductions in injuries to pedestrians. It is reported that, based on two years of 'before and after' monitoring, casualties fell from 71 in the period before the street was remodelled to 40 afterwards - a drop of 43.7%
Crown Square development top of Matlock's agenda |
| Study to unclog Winchester's arteries Hampshire Chronicle - Winchester,England,UK One proposal already on the table is ‘shared space’ where street furniture is removed and pedestrians have more priority over cars. |
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
16 January 2009
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced today that he has asked Transport for London (TfL) to contribute an additional £10 million to the costs of the improvements being planned to Exhibition Road. .... This funding not only allows much-needed improvements to get underway, but also helps to support the exciting new approach being taken that will make the idea of shared space a key principle in transforming the street into a space that all Londoners and visitors can access and enjoy.” [more]
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