4 ms·

6 mph... yeah. About that. People in the US don't really go the speed limit even in a 25mph zone so I don't know how well that will work. The only time I see pe

by tudelo 8y ago

6 mph... yeah. About that. People in the US don't really go the speed limit even in a 25mph zone so I don't know how well that will work. The only time I see people generally going the speed limit is in areas with speed tracking cameras.

zepearl 8y ago
Same in Switzerland, but if the city/community is really serious about that and there are some long-term plans: don't build slick surfaces but ones made of "bricks" or similar (example: https://www.experiencedbricks.com/images/products/kushequa-bricks.jpg https://www.experiencedbricks.com/images/products/kushequa-b...) which definitely get rid of the "need for speed"-feeling (as the faster you go the more everything vibrates in your car, kind of an analog force-feedback feeling), and additionally build some bumps at strategic locations which force the drivers (like myself) to actively use the brain and pay attention. Works great (kind of a relaxing feeling while slowly driving on the "brick"-surfaces, like a massage), but I admit that it's expensive if not building with a long-term planning in mind. Edit: on the other hand I do absolutely hate such streets/areas that have a low speed limit (20/30 km/h) but have absolute smooth surfaces (I don't "feel" the need to drive slowly). I know, it's stupid, but that's how my brain works...: smooth surface therefore fast, not-smooth surface therefore slow and careful :)
- ndnxhs 8y ago
  Bricks are also a pain for bikes which often don't have huge tires and suspension.
  - zepearl 8y ago
    Right, but we're talking about few millimeters (not centimeters) of difference between bricks, which are not comfy but not too extreme if driving on any bike at ~10km/h => advantages outweigh disatvantages. Bikes being the least problematic opponent group, I would be more worried by skateboard, inline-skate, etc... opposition groups. In Switzerland we solved it (as long as it was implemented by the local community or city) by having very smooth sidewalks (but bikes still have to drive on the street as they're too fast for the sidewalk and have more than enough suspension for the normal street at normal speeds).
TulliusCicero 8y ago
> People in the US don't really go the speed limit even in a 25mph zone so I don't know how well that will work. If you just change the signs, obviously it would fail miserably. You need to change the actual design of the street to match the ideal. There are lots of ways to do this, just google "road diet".
- tudelo 8y ago
  The only way I could see this happening is with really damaging speed bumps every car length.
  - smileysteve 8y ago
    Given speed bumps are frowned upon for this very reason, narrowing roads and adding obstacles (brick and concrete islands, parking endcaps, flower beds) is preferred
  - TulliusCicero 8y ago
    Nah, there's lots of other ways to get people to slow down. I mean, speed bumps/humps are one way, and they have their uses, but you can also add trees (yes, it's a psychological thing), narrow the road (e.g. add bike lanes or extend sidewalks), make the road less straight, add roundabouts that people can't blow through, add chicanes at some points (I've seen this in the bay area), add diverters that discourage car through-traffic, etc. Lots of options. The most obvious difference I see between Germany and the US is that the roads are just way wider in the US. That makes drivers feel like they can go faster, so they do go faster, thus making them less safe. You don't really need to enforce tight speed limits in neighborhood streets where I live in Munich, they're so narrow that it's very obvious that you cannot go fast.

by tudelo 8y ago

zepearl 8y ago

Same in Switzerland, but if the city/community is really serious about that and there are some long-term plans: don't build slick surfaces but ones made of "bricks" or similar (example: https://www.experiencedbricks.com/images/products/kushequa-bricks.jpg https://www.experiencedbricks.com/images/products/kushequa-b...) which definitely get rid of the "need for speed"-feeling (as the faster you go the more everything vibrates in your car, kind of an analog force-feedback feeling), and additionally build some bumps at strategic locations which force the drivers (like myself) to actively use the brain and pay attention. Works great (kind of a relaxing feeling while slowly driving on the "brick"-surfaces, like a massage), but I admit that it's expensive if not building with a long-term planning in mind. Edit: on the other hand I do absolutely hate such streets/areas that have a low speed limit (20/30 km/h) but have absolute smooth surfaces (I don't "feel" the need to drive slowly). I know, it's stupid, but that's how my brain works...: smooth surface therefore fast, not-smooth surface therefore slow and careful :)

ndnxhs 8y ago
Bricks are also a pain for bikes which often don't have huge tires and suspension.
- zepearl 8y ago
  Right, but we're talking about few millimeters (not centimeters) of difference between bricks, which are not comfy but not too extreme if driving on any bike at ~10km/h => advantages outweigh disatvantages. Bikes being the least problematic opponent group, I would be more worried by skateboard, inline-skate, etc... opposition groups. In Switzerland we solved it (as long as it was implemented by the local community or city) by having very smooth sidewalks (but bikes still have to drive on the street as they're too fast for the sidewalk and have more than enough suspension for the normal street at normal speeds).

TulliusCicero 8y ago

> People in the US don't really go the speed limit even in a 25mph zone so I don't know how well that will work. If you just change the signs, obviously it would fail miserably. You need to change the actual design of the street to match the ideal. There are lots of ways to do this, just google "road diet".

tudelo 8y ago
The only way I could see this happening is with really damaging speed bumps every car length.
- smileysteve 8y ago
  Given speed bumps are frowned upon for this very reason, narrowing roads and adding obstacles (brick and concrete islands, parking endcaps, flower beds) is preferred
- TulliusCicero 8y ago
  Nah, there's lots of other ways to get people to slow down. I mean, speed bumps/humps are one way, and they have their uses, but you can also add trees (yes, it's a psychological thing), narrow the road (e.g. add bike lanes or extend sidewalks), make the road less straight, add roundabouts that people can't blow through, add chicanes at some points (I've seen this in the bay area), add diverters that discourage car through-traffic, etc. Lots of options. The most obvious difference I see between Germany and the US is that the roads are just way wider in the US. That makes drivers feel like they can go faster, so they do go faster, thus making them less safe. You don't really need to enforce tight speed limits in neighborhood streets where I live in Munich, they're so narrow that it's very obvious that you cannot go fast.