A huge coalition has been assembled to calm traffic (TC) / reduce speeding in New Haven. It is pretty impressive how quickly this has gained support, and the amount of media coverage, given that the petition was created just a week or so ago. Click on http://www.newhavensafestreets.org/ and sign the petition if you agree.
I am seeing similar things in other cities. They are putting in roundabouts everywhere in Seattle, for example.
I am guessing that this is probably a result of the spiraling gas prices -- a lot more people are walking and bicycling compared to just a year ago, especially in urban areas like New Haven and New York. If streets aren't safe (e.g., have basic things like enforced speed limits, narrower lanes, crosswalks, nobody running red lights, etc.... problems that have traditionally been pretty common to all American cities), people who even just want to walk or bike down the block are screwed.
It's probably that high gas prices have influenced support for non-car methods of transport, and thus for traffic calming, but it's also just evidence of a great idea that needed some time to be more broadly accepted and thus slowly take hold in the public conscience.
For example, we were talking about traffic calming methods in my undergraduate urban design courses - in 1989. The general notion that "cars don't have to be the evil overlords of all public movement routes" has been around for a long time. People are interested in better quality of life, within which they have looked to getting out of their cars and having friendlier streets. High gas prices are contributing incentive to an existing meme.
Also: I don't think of roundabouts as "traffic calming" unless they are a shared uncontrolled single surface, like the Monument Circle in Indianapolis. The traffic roundabouts in Carmel, Indiana basically make cars move more efficiently and quickly - thus are pedestrian-unfriendly.
I do agree, though, that traffic calming is a growth industry, or a refiguring of standards within an existing construction/planning industry.
Jun 8, 08 8:36 am ·
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Prediction on TC explosion - result of higher gas prices?
A huge coalition has been assembled to calm traffic (TC) / reduce speeding in New Haven. It is pretty impressive how quickly this has gained support, and the amount of media coverage, given that the petition was created just a week or so ago. Click on http://www.newhavensafestreets.org/ and sign the petition if you agree.
I am seeing similar things in other cities. They are putting in roundabouts everywhere in Seattle, for example.
I am guessing that this is probably a result of the spiraling gas prices -- a lot more people are walking and bicycling compared to just a year ago, especially in urban areas like New Haven and New York. If streets aren't safe (e.g., have basic things like enforced speed limits, narrower lanes, crosswalks, nobody running red lights, etc.... problems that have traditionally been pretty common to all American cities), people who even just want to walk or bike down the block are screwed.
Prediction: TC is a major growth area.
It's probably that high gas prices have influenced support for non-car methods of transport, and thus for traffic calming, but it's also just evidence of a great idea that needed some time to be more broadly accepted and thus slowly take hold in the public conscience.
For example, we were talking about traffic calming methods in my undergraduate urban design courses - in 1989. The general notion that "cars don't have to be the evil overlords of all public movement routes" has been around for a long time. People are interested in better quality of life, within which they have looked to getting out of their cars and having friendlier streets. High gas prices are contributing incentive to an existing meme.
Also: I don't think of roundabouts as "traffic calming" unless they are a shared uncontrolled single surface, like the Monument Circle in Indianapolis. The traffic roundabouts in Carmel, Indiana basically make cars move more efficiently and quickly - thus are pedestrian-unfriendly.
I do agree, though, that traffic calming is a growth industry, or a refiguring of standards within an existing construction/planning industry.
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