Streets as places vs. "Motordom"

Jane Jacobs Way, Bicycle traffic signal. Image by Gordon Price.

The comments in Dr. Gridlock yesterday ("The Line Forms: Another Driver Turns His Back on Metro" in the Washington Post) about putting more money into roads than transit because more people drive of course got me all worked up. But there are so many great resources out there to help us think more broadly about mobility.

1. Christopher Hume, the great urban design writer for the Toronto Star, wrote a piece, after the tragic road rage incident involving a bicyclist and a car in Toronto (I haven't written about this as a "tell tale sign" of the problems with bicycles on the streets because clearly the bicyclist was provocative and escalated the situation--it's not a good example for bicyclist rights--on the other hand, the driver should have stopped, rather than try to knock the guy off his car by driving erratically), that "A 'living street' isn't dominated by cars."

This is what I call "Streets as Places," which goes beyond the concept of Complete Streets. And I write about these concepts tagging the entries urban design/placemaking.

From the article:

What's needed most is a sea change in civic attitudes; it's time to put aside old ideas that the streets belong to drivers and that the rest of us have no place on them, except on the most limited basis.

North Americans long ago put their faith in the automobile. That may have been understandable once, but 60-odd years later, it's clear the situation is badly out of balance.

Cities from New York to Copenhagen have taken bold steps to reclaim their public realm from the car and return it to inhabitants. That doesn't mean cars are eliminated, but that they must share the roads with pedestrians and cyclists.

I like the term "Living Streets" better than Streets as Places, but it might sound too crunchy.

Road Witch project (UK)

2. In the past, this UK Government report has had a lot of impact on the thinking about streets, Living Spaces: Cleaner, Safer, Greener.

3. And the challenges posed to the dominant paradigm by Portland's City Repair project and the Park(ing) Day.

Rebar team members unroll sod as they set up a temporary park in a parking space on Howard Street as part of a guerrilla greenery tactic to bring more open space to the city. Chronicle photo by Laura Morton

4. Gordon Price's Price Tags e-letter issue on New York City's efforts on bicycling ("Cycling NYC 2") also led me to order a copy of the NYC Bicycling Map (it has such a great "legend" and note how it classifies bicycle routes hierarchically, with cycle tracks as number one) and

5. to consider NYC's Greenways program. From the website:

A greenway is a linear open space, such as a path or trail, which links parks and communities around the City, providing public access to green spaces and the waterfront. Greenways expand recreational opportunities for walking, jogging, biking, and in-line skating. ...

Benefits of Greenways

Cyclists, joggers, strollers, skaters, people in wheelchairs or who are mobility-impaired, dog walkers, bird watchers, kids and adults, families and friends, recreational users and commuters—in short, everyone and anyone—gain from the presence and production of greenways. As levels of obesity and diabetes rise among our population, the need to stay fit and healthy has never been more urgent. In order to ensure that no one has to travel too far to use an athletic facility, we are constantly looking to add new properties where parkland previously did not exist and when that is not possible, to bring people to existing facilities.

For Health
Using greenways helps keep you healthy. By bicycle riding, walking, jogging, or skating on the greenways, you can get exercise in an enjoyable way and spend time outdoors!

For Transportation
Riding a bicycle is a form of exercise, recreation, and transportation. Try bicycle riding for your daily commute and see how favorably it compares to driving a car, riding the bus, or taking the subway. Bicycles often get you there in less time, and the scenery is better! It's good for you AND the environment.

For the Environment
The fewer cars we drive and the fewer car trips we make, the cleaner our air becomes. Bicycles and skates don't pollute! By choosing to bike, you will reduce automobile congestion and pollution, thus improving the quality of life in our city. The City's environmental health is also improved because trees are planted along the City's greenways.

For Safety
Designated bicycle paths are excellent places to learn how to ride! Riding on designated bicycle paths is safer than riding on unsigned streets and roads.

For Fun
Greenways are fun! Skate and enjoy time with friends or family, walk to the playground, bike with your children… Trees and plants along greenways make using these paths a relaxing escape from the asphalt jungle. Rediscover New York City's parks, rivers, harbors, and bays! You will see natural landscapes and amazing city views missed by most drivers.

I haven't come up with a good name ("Peopleways" "Civicways") for a related concept I am trying to develop at the neighborhood level, these pathways/walkways/marked "trails" would link neighborhood civic assets such as schools, parks, libraries, and recreation centers to local commercial districts and other points of interest.

6. and Gordon's blog entry in the Vancouver Sun "Motordom Defined." From the entry:

... Into this mix came the automobile: a new form of transportation incompatible with old uses. As Peter Norton argues in his book "Fighting Traffic," [the link is to the essay which presaged the book] the automobile arrived as an intruder, and brought with it blood, grief and anger.

An alliance of automotive interests united to counteract the constraints on automobiles proposed by city councils, engineers, street railways and safety reformers. Made up of automobile clubs, dealerships and manufacturers, they were known as Motordom: a non-pejorative term for advocates of the Motor Age. And their singular accomplishment, as Norton describes it, was a revolutionary change in the perception of the street. Motordom successfully redefined the roadway as a place primarily for cars.

Now the pedestrian became the interloper - the jaywalker. Those who wished to cross the street would have to go to an assigned place and walk between the lines - the crosswalk - or wait for a signal before proceeding. Children, for their safety, could no longer play in the street.

Motordom was also successful at redefining the street as a free market, in which it was unfair to discriminate against a minority of users. The solution, as Motordom argued it, was not to favour one mode over another but to let consumer choice prevail.

Consequently, cities were redesigned to accommodate the automobile. Engineering’s task was to provide enough space for the car in order to avoid the congestion created by the car. In Los Angeles, for instance, the Major Traffic Street Plan of 1924 led to the widening of arterial roads in a crosstown grid. Little attention or money was paid to the transit system.

Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City by Peter D. Norton

Table of Contents and Sample Chapters