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> I also consider the harmonization of automobile and pedestrian traffic to be an open problem. Maximalists on both sides just talk past each other. Car-oriente

> I also consider the harmonization of automobile and pedestrian traffic to be an open problem. Maximalists on both sides just talk past each other. Car-oriented development is bad, but at the same time we aren't going back to a pre-car world. Of course we're not going back to a pre-car world, but I feel like even advocating for relatively minor changes like protected bike lanes or limiting car access in city centers gets you labeled a maximalist. Drivers have a countrywide pedestrian-free transportation network (the interstate highway system) but there is practically no place at all in the US that you can walk or especially bike for transportation without frequent potential conflict with cars. And even small steps towards establishing such spaces meet fierce opposition.

Fatnino 3y ago
Stanford campus is, I would say, hostile to cars. Stanford is a very big place as far as university campuses go and besides a loop road around the edges there are only a few roads that go to the inside and a lot of it you simply can't get to by car. You need to park and walk or bike. If you do choose to walk, don't let your guard down because while the cars are absent, the bikes are still a (slightly less lethal) menace.
FooBarBizBazz 3y ago
> Drivers have a countrywide pedestrian-free transportation network (the interstate highway system) but there is practically no place at all in the US that you can walk or especially bike for transportation without frequent potential conflict with cars. This is a great observation, and it immediately suggests a vision: An interstate pedestrian path system, and an interstate bicycle network. The Park Service is already imagining these things, but many of the "trails" are just marked sections of automobile-road. They don't have the resources to go further, but we should go further. Define minimum standards. The most important is physical separation from vehicle traffic. Mere paint or bollards is insufficient. Ideally some limited infrastructure like occasional benches and water fountains. Fire Robert Moses and put Charles Olmstead in charge. The funny thing is, when you create nice environments, people want to be in them. A market is created. All of a sudden, cyclists are passing through. I can run a little cafe that caters to them. Commerce happens. Yes, much of it's leisure-oriented, but that's still GDP.
- ryukafalz 3y ago
  > This is a great observation, and it immediately suggests a vision: An interstate pedestrian path system, and an interstate bicycle network. Yeah, that would be a nice part of it. And indeed, the Netherlands and Belgium have such things: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_highway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_highway Of course, my reference to the interstate highway system was mostly meant to illustrate the current imbalance. But just as drivers need to leave the interstates to get to their final destinations, so too would cyclists. So it's still important to have safe walking/cycling routes on local streets too, because ultimately that's where we all start and end our journeys. It won't be possible to completely separate people/bikes/cars in all of these places, but thankfully there are a lot of designs around the world that we can take inspiration from, and with careful planning you can prioritize cars and bikes on different streets so they don't interact as much. But in the US, we're basically not giving anything but cars a serious chance at this point.

Fatnino 3y ago

Stanford campus is, I would say, hostile to cars. Stanford is a very big place as far as university campuses go and besides a loop road around the edges there are only a few roads that go to the inside and a lot of it you simply can't get to by car. You need to park and walk or bike. If you do choose to walk, don't let your guard down because while the cars are absent, the bikes are still a (slightly less lethal) menace.

FooBarBizBazz 3y ago

> Drivers have a countrywide pedestrian-free transportation network (the interstate highway system) but there is practically no place at all in the US that you can walk or especially bike for transportation without frequent potential conflict with cars. This is a great observation, and it immediately suggests a vision: An interstate pedestrian path system, and an interstate bicycle network. The Park Service is already imagining these things, but many of the "trails" are just marked sections of automobile-road. They don't have the resources to go further, but we should go further. Define minimum standards. The most important is physical separation from vehicle traffic. Mere paint or bollards is insufficient. Ideally some limited infrastructure like occasional benches and water fountains. Fire Robert Moses and put Charles Olmstead in charge. The funny thing is, when you create nice environments, people want to be in them. A market is created. All of a sudden, cyclists are passing through. I can run a little cafe that caters to them. Commerce happens. Yes, much of it's leisure-oriented, but that's still GDP.

ryukafalz 3y ago
> This is a great observation, and it immediately suggests a vision: An interstate pedestrian path system, and an interstate bicycle network. Yeah, that would be a nice part of it. And indeed, the Netherlands and Belgium have such things: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_highway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_highway Of course, my reference to the interstate highway system was mostly meant to illustrate the current imbalance. But just as drivers need to leave the interstates to get to their final destinations, so too would cyclists. So it's still important to have safe walking/cycling routes on local streets too, because ultimately that's where we all start and end our journeys. It won't be possible to completely separate people/bikes/cars in all of these places, but thankfully there are a lot of designs around the world that we can take inspiration from, and with careful planning you can prioritize cars and bikes on different streets so they don't interact as much. But in the US, we're basically not giving anything but cars a serious chance at this point.