3 ms·

Having to re-think and rebuild our communities definitely feels like a bigger lift. At least in the US

ericmay 3y ago
I think in a lot of cases (all?) you don't actually have to rebuild. There are easy wins like removing mandatory parking minimums. In downtown Columbus, Ohio around where I live we have a lot of surface parking lots. Those could be housing. We can run a street tram on a 5 mile N/S loop and eliminate traffic, etc. We don't have to build suburban sprawl either. It's not rocket science. We spent I think a billion dollars reconfiguring a highway that runs through downtown. Projects like that are low ROI and largely just make existing problems worse. I would say it certainly requires thinking, but we also know that we can't (and economic physics will dictate this whether we like it or not) continue with car-only infrastructure and we also know for a fact that EVs won't fix many of the problems they seek to address. Emissions can be one area that they help in, but they're not a silver bullet and they're laughable compared to things like busses, biking, walking, street trams, etc. when it comes to addressing emissions (never mind traffic, premature deaths, cost, etc.).
- wombat-man 3y ago
  Stuff like getting rid of parking minimums might help, but making it less convenient to have a car is one part of the solution alternative transit option, it's mostly just going to frustrate all involved. I think the problem is we already have suburban sprawl. Rezoning and rebuilding the community with mass transit, buses or better yet subways/trams is not cheap. Then you need to get the community that has already invested in their suburban homes, to put their tax money into such public infrastructure.
  - ericmay 3y ago
    There isn’t anything that needs rebuilt in the suburbs (at least where the housing is) you just need density and allowing other types of dwellings and structures to be built, like parks or neighborhood grocery stores and cafes. Really we don’t even need to do the mass transit piece of it to start with and I think when you focus on the huge undertakings you psyche yourself out from being able to do smaller things that have an impact. I do think it would be a monumental task to get people to re-examine how they live and are handicapped by cars, but transit is just one piece of the puzzle there.
    - trgn 3y ago
      Agreed. I don't think anything needs to be redone. Just a general thickening of what's already there. And dial in alternatives in what exists. Roads in the US are so so wide already. Start with carving out BRT, bike-lanes, ... so people find it safe and convenient to bike or take a bus. Won't even impact drivers. Congestion is mostly due to total car volume and number of intersections/bottlenecks, not number of lanes.

I think in a lot of cases (all?) you don't actually have to rebuild. There are easy wins like removing mandatory parking minimums. In downtown Columbus, Ohio around where I live we have a lot of surface parking lots. Those could be housing. We can run a street tram on a 5 mile N/S loop and eliminate traffic, etc. We don't have to build suburban sprawl either. It's not rocket science. We spent I think a billion dollars reconfiguring a highway that runs through downtown. Projects like that are low ROI and largely just make existing problems worse. I would say it certainly requires thinking, but we also know that we can't (and economic physics will dictate this whether we like it or not) continue with car-only infrastructure and we also know for a fact that EVs won't fix many of the problems they seek to address. Emissions can be one area that they help in, but they're not a silver bullet and they're laughable compared to things like busses, biking, walking, street trams, etc. when it comes to addressing emissions (never mind traffic, premature deaths, cost, etc.).

wombat-man 3y ago
Stuff like getting rid of parking minimums might help, but making it less convenient to have a car is one part of the solution alternative transit option, it's mostly just going to frustrate all involved. I think the problem is we already have suburban sprawl. Rezoning and rebuilding the community with mass transit, buses or better yet subways/trams is not cheap. Then you need to get the community that has already invested in their suburban homes, to put their tax money into such public infrastructure.
- ericmay 3y ago
  There isn’t anything that needs rebuilt in the suburbs (at least where the housing is) you just need density and allowing other types of dwellings and structures to be built, like parks or neighborhood grocery stores and cafes. Really we don’t even need to do the mass transit piece of it to start with and I think when you focus on the huge undertakings you psyche yourself out from being able to do smaller things that have an impact. I do think it would be a monumental task to get people to re-examine how they live and are handicapped by cars, but transit is just one piece of the puzzle there.
  - trgn 3y ago
    Agreed. I don't think anything needs to be redone. Just a general thickening of what's already there. And dial in alternatives in what exists. Roads in the US are so so wide already. Start with carving out BRT, bike-lanes, ... so people find it safe and convenient to bike or take a bus. Won't even impact drivers. Congestion is mostly due to total car volume and number of intersections/bottlenecks, not number of lanes.