The Pedestrian Strikes Back

And a little town, Brandon, just south of Middlebury just added three traffic lights to Route 7 within 50 feet. It is now as congested as Middlebury. Here we are two decades into the 21st century and the traffic engineers are adding traffic lights - it is so 20th Century.

As much as we want shelter to be more humane and environmentally friendly, access to housing and all the basic stores to satisfy us, cities ought to be free from cars at street level. Ideally, one would love to live in a city where one can walk to work, go to the movies or theatre or parks, free of interference from vehicular pollution. In Spanish we say we like to use the '11' ('el once', i.e. our feet). All cars must use the underground, like the Subway trains do now, or convenient overpasses like we see in Minneapolis (for instance), that communicate from building to building, available and open even during a storm. Having a functional public transport system pretty much 'unseen' (and not heard) may contribute to human socializing like in the good old times, beating loneliness and it's despair. Of note, before I get bitten by the car companies for loss of business, how about giving them the 'charge' of producing, and keeping, a clean and dependable public transport system? This would redound in better health of it's citizens by removing pollution, and stopping the waste of 'millions' of hours lost in ldling your car in so many stupid 'bottlenecks', an expense better channelled for rational and emotional use. As it should be, if we appreciate our freedom to enjoy life.

cars are one thing. you omit the latest marauders that threaten pedestrians: these motorized scooters with silent engines that have suddenly usurped our space without any notice from those who should protect us

This is not a new idea. Check out the local history. Transportation Alternatives and Auto Free New York have been around in New York City since the 1970s / 1980s. Stand up for your right to exercise and breath. Join these green groups and help organize other pedestrians. Cars in the city are dirty, dangerous and basically useless space hogs which turn their otherwise normal drivers into enraged psychopathic bullies. Become a human being again. Devehicularize.

SUVs are a scourge in so many aspects. They are gas-guzzlers. Pedestrians cannot see beyond SUVs, and even other smaller cars cannot see around or beyond SUVs. SUVs take up more parking space net, net, which means fewer overall parking spots for other cars. But of course, Americans 'need' their SUVs, because it's all about being Big. We need to show others how important we are.... we need big SUVs to hold all our 'stuff' after our trips to BJs, Walmart, etc. And of course, the auto industry loves to tout the 'safety' aspect...you know, that if you yourself are in an SUV, it protects you from being hit by another SUV (...sorta like the same mentality the NRA might use for gun-owners...that everyone needs an AR-15 to protect themselves from other AR-15 owners)?? What's next...car owners are going to start upgrading en masse from SUVs to a new line of lower-priced Hummers, so they can feel more 'safe' on our roads? The typical American has become so self-centered, so lazy, so focused on the accumulation of 'stuff', with no consideration for others, for society, the environment, etc.

I love how the author couldn't resist taking a jab at bike riders.

Correction, suburbs have either no sidewalks or only 4 feet wide ones with cars and vans parked temporarily on them. A hold over from horrendous town planning in mid century.

I moved to the US from Europe and it’s amazing how people here just don’t see it. Chicagoans think the lakefront is beautiful, whilst all I see is an ugly, stinky highway (US41) which only leaves a tiny sliver of beachfront and a carcinogenic and noisy trail for runners and bicyclists with exhaust fumes from the cars and trucks right next to it. Walking through the city takes ages as every block there’s a traffic light. Sidewalks are too small, yet there’s parallel parking everywhere of which the profits go 100% to a private company and removal incurs penalties. There’s engine noise and smelly air everywhere. If you’d think it would be an issue in the mayoral race, you’d be wrong. Nobody cares.

Whenever I hear "infrastructure development," I cringe. In the mind of most speakers it seems to mean, more bridges, better roads, and and anything else that will appease motorists. I don't want no stinkin' infrastructure.

The real problem is pedestrian safety. Placing cross walks in the middle of blocks would be a improvement. If this is not possible even moving crosswalks at intersections further away from the cross street toward the middle of the block would be a real help.

In my city, the DOT slogan is "walk, bike, ride." In fact, the car is still king and of all other means of locomotion, walkers are the least considered. Anyone who walks around town regularly faces damaged sidewalks and pavement inappropriate for a rainy city. The City allows developers to block sidewalk access for prolonged periods and cafe owners to appropriate large swaths of sidewalk for outdoor tables. In our state, right turns on red are legal, making highly trafficked crosswalks extremely hazardous for pedestrians. Not sure how our council people and mayor commute, but I'd bet that if one of them slipped on a wet paver or had a few near death experiences in a crosswalk, things might improve.

I think the solution needs to be multi-pronged. We need fewer cars and more car-sharing/car-pooling. I am always dumb-founded that even in a place such as NYC, with endless transport options, that so many stubbornly refuse to detach themselves from their personal vehicle, ever. They won't walk, bike or take an MTA bus for a few blocks, anywhere. They automatically reach for the car keys whenever the urge strikes them for a jumbo Dunkin' machiatto, etc. Everyone now 'needs' an SUV, etc. Yet somehow, in the past, a family of six managed with one station wagon. We've become so self-centered, so greedy now, and obviously focused on 'excess'. Multi-car garages are now seen as 'the norm', with car owners then complaining that the City isn't providing them with 'sufficient' street parking, etc. Cyclists need to be ticketed for driving infractions just as drivers of vehicles are held to. Cyclists should be required to have Visible license plates. I am a cyclist and obey all traffic laws, and it angers me to see when other cyclists do not, as it takes away from those of us cyclists who Do obey the laws. In particular, food delivery guys, and esp when on those silent-but-deadly eScooters/bikes, are a menace. The particular restaurants and food delivery apps (Seamless, etc.) need to make it clear to their delivery people that they must obey traffic laws. They need to force their drivers to have Visible ID from 20' away, so that all can ID/report these law-breakers.

Why is there no discussion regarding the need for bicycles and electric-assist bikes to be registered (and display tags) and have insurance? Especially when they are used for commercial purposes! How many times do you hear riders say "bikes are legal vehicles"? Well treat them a such and require they display clear readable ID tags so they can be held responsible for acts that impede and endanger pedestrians! Of course, young kids would be exempt!

As the article points out, "cyclists often pay no attention to traffic laws." This whole expansion to bicycles in the city has made the situation of pedestrians less secure. They zoom out of nowhere. It is now a daily occurrence as I cross the street. At least with cars, they are visible if you look, they have lights at night, and once you see them, you can judge whether it's safe. The promotion of bicycles and bike lanes is misguided. The effort should be on improving public transportation.

Lowering the speed limit in NYC has improved safety. But we should go further: there shoud be a turning speed limit that is no more than 10mph. It should apply to ALL vehicles, and should be strictly enforced. Many drivers do not even seem to understand that they may not enter a crosswalk when pedestrians are crossing. Slowing them down would be a first step.

Bicycles are in their way worse than cars for pedestrians. Go to Amsterdam and just try to cross a rush hour road that is clogged by the unyielding two wheel maniacs. They will curse you, hit you and never yield. Why is that? Because a bicycle rider has effectively no legal liability, and they are impossible to identify or catch after an injury. The car has the one advantage of being licensed, liable and accountable. Let’s end the imbalance and see bike licenses and traffic law enforcement implementation before we ditch cars.

I spent 20 days in February 2016 in Madrid and Malaga Spain mostly walking around sight seeing and lost 10 lbs while eating whatever I felt like (though it was tempered a bit by budget concerns). I suppose some of this has to do with the food there - it’s less corporatized processed, usually made the day you eat it. I past a pastry shop every morning and couldn’t resist stopping in and flirting with the beautiful girl behind the counter while indulging myself in fantastic pastries. I fell in love with every aspect of Spain - from its great variety of art and architecture a gift of it;s long history, it’s high quality but variety of inexpensive wines, Topas bar hopping, kind, warm and welcoming people, bullet trans that transport at reasonable prices and great comfort and no hassles, great beer, plethora of plazas with side walk cafes and reasonable prices, straight forward cuisine, and wonderful climate, and most of this delivered to you on two feet. Losing 10 lbs was a bonus. I was supremely happy and content for 20 days. Walking every where is great, as is Spain.

The street should be permanently closed to bicycle and car traffic adjacent to playgrounds. I can think of one in the upper east side 90th street between 2nd and third ave. At least on Sundays some streets are closed in NYC called "Summer Streets" and some suburban parkways are closed to traffic mornings on sundays in spring and fall. Families come out of their caves to enjoy the freedom. Boulevards were originally pedestrian friendly and sidewalks in the suburban towns are just 8 feet wide or narrower.

All the users of public thoroughfares must respect each other -- pedestrians, horse riders, four- and fewer-wheel motor vehicle drivers. But, the pedestrians must have the right to defend themselves against imbalanced drivers by neutralizing the latter before they strike.

Cars are not the only problem. Here in Berkeley, a city where roughly 1/3rd of the population is university students who walk most of the time, pedestrians are still second class, behind cars and bicycles. The city's ordinance against bicycles on sidewalks is NEVER enforced. And now we have scooters and robots on the sidewalks as well. If a private developer or the University constructs a building, even next to the most congested of sidewalks, the sidewalk is closed, forcing the hapless pedestrian to cross the street or into the street. There are some simple solutions to improve these problems. The city staff and politicians ignore them.

Smaller cars, people, smaller, shorter cars. Remember VW bugs? perfectly comfortable ride for 4 people. Pedestrians can see over them around them, they use less fuel, cost less. Isn't the auto industry something that can be regulated?

Unfortunately for us, our cities are already largely built out, and they were built for automobiles: low population densities spread out among single-family homes. This increases the distance between points, and in a kind of negative feedback loop, increases the amount of surface area that must be devoted to both roads and parking structures, further decreasing density. Low population density works against the viability of both walking and public transportation.

This article gives voice to NYC's Dept of Transportation plan to replace the Brooklyn Heights Promenade with 6 lanes of traffic while the Brooklyn Queens Expressway underneath is repaired. This has been covered extensively everywhere, including in these pages. The unthinking reasoning behind this decision—made initially without local input, and at first endorsed by NYC's Mayor—is because the truck and car traffic must flow despite everything, while the needs of thousands of locals and tourists can be put off for more than half a decade.

Ride hailing, app based services such as Uber and Lyft have completely changed the traffic dynamic in downtown Seattle for the worse. They operate erratically (often making illegal movements), loiter in no parking areas, block buses and circle endlessly adding to gridlock. They certainly do not ease congestion as some suggest. This development does not benefit pedestrians and the urban environment in which we walk. I would also say that driverless cars will in no way be any sort of panacea for the urban landscape. Without having to pay drivers, imagine the app based services being able to flood the city with even more vehicles than they do now. A car is still a car whether it has a driver or not and it will always occupy the same amount of space. As a pedestrian you must practice defensive walking. Always assume that driver doesn't see you. Always walk with your cell phone in your pocket or bag and your eyes up. Wear light clothing in the dark. Look four ways before crossing, this helps you discover scoff-law bicyclists that you can't hear. Be safe.

In Southern California the freeway builders are still running amok. Spending billions on lane expansion schemes with ridiculously small increases in capacity or travel time that are soon overwhelmed again. Demolishing sturdy bridges and infrastructure. Eating up vast tracks of land and adding to the terrible air quality. It seems that the construction franchisers and government agencies are in a symbiotic relationship and unable to focus their often admirable skills on anything else.

2 words this article overlooks: delivery trucks. How are people going to get their packages, which they'll rely on even more if they don't have cars, to get things easily and frequently for their tiny, storage space leaving, apartments.

100 percent in agreement. I'm thinking about retirement and have started looking at locations. I won't even look at any place without a walk-able scale score of 78 or less. I have a list of places I want to be able to walk to (go a lot) and a list of places I'm willing to drive to (go once a week or once a month) and wherever I move, I want check marks on the lists. Walking is great! PS. I walk to work

I hope urban planners keep in mind that not everyone can walk. When closing streets and eliminating parking areas close to shopping areas, people who have back, hip or knee pain, or use walkers or wheelchairs are forgotten. I am one of those people. If streets in shopping districts of my city were closed, I would have to forego shopping there, or attending concerts, the theater, lectures and other events. I know people like me are in the minority, but as the population continues to age, more and more who are walkers today may find themselves also at a disadvantage in cities.

This is a wonderful theory but for Manhattan the subways need to be fixed first. Access to the subways has to be made such that the elderly and handicapped can easily use it. The Subways have to run reliably and on time. Bus service also has to be improved. Bicycles should be strictly regulated as well.

I covered the back of my iPhone with bright yellow reflective tape. When crossing streets and fending off aggressive drivers, I hold the phone with the reflective back facing the driver, as if I were video-recording their approach - as I sometimes am. Almost invariably, they slow down and give me more room. This may work best in locales whose cars have front as well as rear license plates. Sometimes part of the answer to pedestrian safety is the simple threat of exposure. Remember Brandeis: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant”.

Bravo! This article points out the shift in thinking that we need in order to take back our streets. That, combined with the tech fix of self-driving cars (and the possibility or removing a lane or two of traffic and converting parking spaces to walking spaces) will transform our cities and our lives.

Please remember that significant numbers of people have conditions that limit the distances they can walk. Banning cars would strand them (us).

Here in Mexico City, we don’t know when we’re going to die, but we know how. Many of us walk for all its advantages, but it’s a dangerous game. Mothers advise their children to “look four ways before crossing the street.” Fellow pedestrians often throw out an arm to halt the heedless. One for sure once saved my life. Thank you, noble stranger.

Our streets are our commons. They are called public right-of-way for a reason. Cars are private property. We don't store any other large chunks of our private property on public land -- no washing machines or dining room furniture get priority placement on our commonly owned land. Along with giving over our shared space, we've invested huge amounts of public treasure to maintain places for our private vehicles to sit and move about. Count me in for reorienting our shared public space and money to public uses -- let's invest in streets for people.

San Francisco, what should be a walkable city, has become a nightmare for pedestrians. Sidewalks are now littered with untethered electric scooters (the latest, Skip, have now invaded my neighborhood, scattered hither and thither everywhere). And drivers cannot be bothered to look up from their texting or talking and traffic laws are rarely enforced. Bicycles, which once were, by law, supposed to stop at stop signs, can now roll through the stop. Yes, they're supposed to stop for pedestrians, but that's as rare as a warm day in July in the foggy city by the bay.

The most ambitious pedestrianization project currently ongoing in Europe that I know of (but I'm no expert) is that of Brussels. Brussels, of course, is a small city with an abundance of public transit options which makes this all possible. If you're interested in what this looks like, just search the web for "Brussels pedestrian zone" and you'll find plenty of info.

" In Europe, where clean, safe, punctual public transit is already widely available, Oslo plans to ban all cars from its city center beginning next year. " The writer seems to ignore the horse pulling the cart: Euro cites can ban car traffic from their city centers BECAUSE they have effective mass transit systems in place, and also because people like and widely use these systems. Banning without planning just causes more inconvenience to residents, worsens travel, and creates resentments. Plan FIRST! Also this piece willfully refuses to address the main cause of congestion in NYC, and many other American cities: limos and "car service" cars by the likes of Uber run amok! Travel -- or try to-- along any NYC avenue and street and you'll find them choked with huge (gas-guzzling) black limos, SUVs and various "T...LC" private car service vehicles. Apart from adding 5-fold (or more) to the traffic, these vehicles regularly stand in no-parking lanes, block traffic by standing and stopping at random, make a mockery of traffic planning. Get rid of these first! Improve (now terrible) NYC mass transit. Then start opining about how great it is to walk, especially with bags of groceries, strollers with kids, or large bags with all your work!

End free parking and charge market rates to park on public streets. Biking and walking around a city is the most enjoyable way to experience it. Furthermore these activities don’t pollute and encourage interactions among people.

the taxes imposed on cars and gas not nearly enough cover the expenses incurred by inconveniences to others, their health issues, global warming, ground sealing and other environmental costs.

The other things pedestrians need are public bathrooms and drinking fountains . And strict liability laws are needed in the US

It's high time that cities wake up to this. More public transportation and less cars.

These beautiful, trendy bike and pedestrian friendly enclaves are often in small wealthy areas, but the lowest of workers have to commute in from areas tens of miles away without any transit.

Closing off cities from communities outside their boundaries where public transport is inefficient and burdensome only increases property values to the benefit of capitalists further and excludes the poor and the former middle class from the culture of the city. A mix of transportation options is the only just solution and non-city dwellers need to be guaranteed access via private vehicles.