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And that is how it should be. Cars are great to go between cities fast, but inside cities they should behave like guests. Ironically, most drivers are guests to

And that is how it should be. Cars are great to go between cities fast, but inside cities they should behave like guests. Ironically, most drivers are guests to a city as well, coming from the suburbs. Pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation are the most efficient mode of transportation inside a city, and should be honored as such. In most medium to big Dutch cities this is the case, although there is always room for improvement.

jomamaxx 10y ago
"Cars are great to go between cities fast, but inside cities they should behave like guests" No, especially in north american cities where you can walk few places, cares are another form of transit, like anything else. Relatively few people actually ride bikes. "Pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation are the most efficient mode of transportation inside a city" this is completely false in most situations, especially in North America. You cannot reasonably walk 5Km to work every day and back. The vast majority of people live far from work. Even with cities that have good public transit, it's not optimal in tons of cases. Cars - or things like them - are going to stay. They are not going away.
- PeterSmit 10y ago
  You're talking specifically about North American cities, where everything is designed around automobile usage. And that is the problem the article talks about. It has been designed with this goal in mind so much, that it results in lots of pedestrian and cyclist deaths. Cities that are not designed like this are much compacter, so distances become smaller. Commuting 5km by bicycle is fine, takes roughly 20 mins if the roads are decent. Using a tram or bus that has a decent frequency it will take roughly the same time, even including a few minutes of walking. See example: https://www.google.nl/maps/dir/52.1136289,5.0897208/52.0860586,5.1080626/@52.1008013,5.0659812,21797m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e1?hl=en https://www.google.nl/maps/dir/52.1136289,5.0897208/52.08605...
pif 10y ago
> Pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation are the most efficient mode of transportation inside a city The more I think about it, the more I think this is a myth. Everybody say they are the most efficient, but with regards to which metric? The only important metric is door-to-door time. If I can walk a short distance to the bus stop, have a ride and then walk another short distance to my workplace, then I'm lucky and I don't even consider driving to work. But if I have to drive to the nearest bus/train station (actually, to the parking nearest the station), then ride to the city centre, then a bus to the suburbs, then a walk in the suburbs... sorry, the car will make much sense, even with the traffic jams.
- usrusr 10y ago
  “The suburbs“ is not "inside the city". That was his whole point: cars from outside should behave like guests, not like they own the place.
phicoh 10y ago
When I'm on a bike, I just hate public transport with a passion. Why, because some enlightened person decided it was a good idea for traffic lights to give priority to trams and busses. Net effect is waiting for a red light while the tram is still at a stop not even ready to cross the intersection. Beyond that, give and take space within the rules. There is no need to go out of your way to make space for cars, but also don't be a jerk and take priority just because you are on a bike.
mikestew 10y ago
Pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation are the most efficient mode of transportation inside a city, and should be honored as such. You're thinking of motorcycle/scooter. All the speed and independence of a car, while taking up only a fraction of road and parking space. And I can still haul lumber and groceries on my motorcycle.

jomamaxx 10y ago

"Cars are great to go between cities fast, but inside cities they should behave like guests" No, especially in north american cities where you can walk few places, cares are another form of transit, like anything else. Relatively few people actually ride bikes. "Pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation are the most efficient mode of transportation inside a city" this is completely false in most situations, especially in North America. You cannot reasonably walk 5Km to work every day and back. The vast majority of people live far from work. Even with cities that have good public transit, it's not optimal in tons of cases. Cars - or things like them - are going to stay. They are not going away.

PeterSmit 10y ago
You're talking specifically about North American cities, where everything is designed around automobile usage. And that is the problem the article talks about. It has been designed with this goal in mind so much, that it results in lots of pedestrian and cyclist deaths. Cities that are not designed like this are much compacter, so distances become smaller. Commuting 5km by bicycle is fine, takes roughly 20 mins if the roads are decent. Using a tram or bus that has a decent frequency it will take roughly the same time, even including a few minutes of walking. See example: https://www.google.nl/maps/dir/52.1136289,5.0897208/52.0860586,5.1080626/@52.1008013,5.0659812,21797m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e1?hl=en https://www.google.nl/maps/dir/52.1136289,5.0897208/52.08605...

pif 10y ago

> Pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation are the most efficient mode of transportation inside a city The more I think about it, the more I think this is a myth. Everybody say they are the most efficient, but with regards to which metric? The only important metric is door-to-door time. If I can walk a short distance to the bus stop, have a ride and then walk another short distance to my workplace, then I'm lucky and I don't even consider driving to work. But if I have to drive to the nearest bus/train station (actually, to the parking nearest the station), then ride to the city centre, then a bus to the suburbs, then a walk in the suburbs... sorry, the car will make much sense, even with the traffic jams.

usrusr 10y ago
“The suburbs“ is not "inside the city". That was his whole point: cars from outside should behave like guests, not like they own the place.

phicoh 10y ago

When I'm on a bike, I just hate public transport with a passion. Why, because some enlightened person decided it was a good idea for traffic lights to give priority to trams and busses. Net effect is waiting for a red light while the tram is still at a stop not even ready to cross the intersection. Beyond that, give and take space within the rules. There is no need to go out of your way to make space for cars, but also don't be a jerk and take priority just because you are on a bike.

mikestew 10y ago

Pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation are the most efficient mode of transportation inside a city, and should be honored as such. You're thinking of motorcycle/scooter. All the speed and independence of a car, while taking up only a fraction of road and parking space. And I can still haul lumber and groceries on my motorcycle.