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....so after all of that effort to create walkable cities, remove car lanes for bike lanes etc. this is where we end up? Not sure if trying to create more walkw

....so after all of that effort to create walkable cities, remove car lanes for bike lanes etc. this is where we end up? Not sure if trying to create more walkways, removing traffic lanes for bike etc. are the answer if this is the net result.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
chemeng 3y ago
It seems that many of the cities that invested in those ideas had improvements. However, compared to 2021, 18 metros observed an increase in walking activity in 2022, with California metros dominating nine out of the top ten spots. New York City ranked 10th
vcxy 3y ago
I'm not sure why this article would prompt you to call out bike lanes. > there’s a noticeable rise in biking trips while pedestrian activity is dwindling as a portion of overall trips. Beyond that, this seems highly relevant: > Alarmingly, pedestrian fatalities rose during this period Maybe we haven't actually made any walkable cities
- JeffSnazzy 3y ago
  Pedestrian fatalities are up in pretty much every metro, so this isn't a meaningful signal. It's still worth pursuing banning high-fatality vehicles from urban areas.
  - vcxy 3y ago
    You don't think increasing pedestrian fatalities could be linked to people choosing to walk less? I've certainly noticed in my area that drivers have been much more aggressive since the pandemic started and I walk less because of it.
sh-run 3y ago
The article is one sided, but still mentions that biking is up: > Despite this, there’s a noticeable rise in biking trips while pedestrian activity is dwindling as a portion of overall trips. They cite StreetLight Data as their source. Per GCN (which cites the same source) > bicycle trips in the US have increased by 37% from 2019 to 2022 GCN is obviously also going to have some kind of bias, but the TTI article clearly does as well. https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/general/news/in-the-us-bike-trips-increase-37percent-from-2019-to-2022 https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/general/news/in-the-us-...
TulliusCicero 3y ago
What effort? Most US cities are complete garbage for walkability. When I lived in Germany, I'd see little towns of a few hundred people that were more dense and walkable than US cities 100x their size. And bikability is even worse, sub-garbage level. People don't do it because it appears to be insanely dangerous because our infrastructure is generally shit tier, like painted bike lanes (though off street trails are often okay, where they exist). People are mostly rational when choosing day to day transportation options. If biking was supported well they'd do it. But it's not, so they don't. All the "Vision Zero" announcements were mostly politicians doing politician things with no real oomph behind them. There are things that can be done quickly and effectively, but the political will usually isn't there due to our horrible cultural momentum.
- lgleason 3y ago
  The problem with mass transit in the US is that the US has a lot of wide open spaces and most places do not have the population density to make it economically feasable. In Atlanta, for example, many parts have been removing car lanes for bike lanes and parking has become a real problem in some neighborhoods. Places that used to be free to park in charge a small fortune at times and there are not as many options to park your car in these areas. Instead of doing development with adequate parking, they don't provide enough and charge a fortune for what we have. Between the climate and the poor mass transit it is the worst of both worlds but hey. When I was visiting downtown Austin recently it seemed like a similar story from what I observed.
  - onetoo 3y ago
    I'm not from the US, but I do follow the issue due to the US-centric nature of internet culture. From what I understand, it is a bit of a catch-22: - You cannot make public transport a feasible option because - Most places do not have the population density required because - Places are designed in a car-centric manner, with strict zoning laws that enforce low-density suburbia because - Everyone has a car because - Public transport sucks because - You cannot make public transport a feasible option because To me, the solution to the problem you state is not more parking, but less cars. Break the cycle.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

chemeng 3y ago

It seems that many of the cities that invested in those ideas had improvements. However, compared to 2021, 18 metros observed an increase in walking activity in 2022, with California metros dominating nine out of the top ten spots. New York City ranked 10th

vcxy 3y ago

I'm not sure why this article would prompt you to call out bike lanes. > there’s a noticeable rise in biking trips while pedestrian activity is dwindling as a portion of overall trips. Beyond that, this seems highly relevant: > Alarmingly, pedestrian fatalities rose during this period Maybe we haven't actually made any walkable cities

JeffSnazzy 3y ago
Pedestrian fatalities are up in pretty much every metro, so this isn't a meaningful signal. It's still worth pursuing banning high-fatality vehicles from urban areas.
- vcxy 3y ago
  You don't think increasing pedestrian fatalities could be linked to people choosing to walk less? I've certainly noticed in my area that drivers have been much more aggressive since the pandemic started and I walk less because of it.

sh-run 3y ago

The article is one sided, but still mentions that biking is up: > Despite this, there’s a noticeable rise in biking trips while pedestrian activity is dwindling as a portion of overall trips. They cite StreetLight Data as their source. Per GCN (which cites the same source) > bicycle trips in the US have increased by 37% from 2019 to 2022 GCN is obviously also going to have some kind of bias, but the TTI article clearly does as well. https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/general/news/in-the-us-bike-trips-increase-37percent-from-2019-to-2022 https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/general/news/in-the-us-...

TulliusCicero 3y ago

What effort? Most US cities are complete garbage for walkability. When I lived in Germany, I'd see little towns of a few hundred people that were more dense and walkable than US cities 100x their size. And bikability is even worse, sub-garbage level. People don't do it because it appears to be insanely dangerous because our infrastructure is generally shit tier, like painted bike lanes (though off street trails are often okay, where they exist). People are mostly rational when choosing day to day transportation options. If biking was supported well they'd do it. But it's not, so they don't. All the "Vision Zero" announcements were mostly politicians doing politician things with no real oomph behind them. There are things that can be done quickly and effectively, but the political will usually isn't there due to our horrible cultural momentum.

lgleason 3y ago
The problem with mass transit in the US is that the US has a lot of wide open spaces and most places do not have the population density to make it economically feasable. In Atlanta, for example, many parts have been removing car lanes for bike lanes and parking has become a real problem in some neighborhoods. Places that used to be free to park in charge a small fortune at times and there are not as many options to park your car in these areas. Instead of doing development with adequate parking, they don't provide enough and charge a fortune for what we have. Between the climate and the poor mass transit it is the worst of both worlds but hey. When I was visiting downtown Austin recently it seemed like a similar story from what I observed.
- onetoo 3y ago
  I'm not from the US, but I do follow the issue due to the US-centric nature of internet culture. From what I understand, it is a bit of a catch-22: - You cannot make public transport a feasible option because - Most places do not have the population density required because - Places are designed in a car-centric manner, with strict zoning laws that enforce low-density suburbia because - Everyone has a car because - Public transport sucks because - You cannot make public transport a feasible option because To me, the solution to the problem you state is not more parking, but less cars. Break the cycle.