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city planning and zoning authorities, economic development programs, grants for housing and so on. But what I found in practice was that the tool that made the most difference in my community was transportation. Nothing else had as great an impact on our economic development, on the pattern of growth, or on the quality of life."
Q:
I may never use public transportation. Why should I
support it?
A:
Public transportation
provides an important alternative to improve transportation
efficiency. It benefits not only the people who use it but
also other motorists and the state in general by improving
our quality of life. Public transportation reduces or
eliminates the amount of time spent in traffic jams; provides
a much needed service to our elderly and disabled by giving
them the freedom to leave their homes if necessary; promotes
independence for those who need public transportation to get
to work; and improves our air quality and environment by reducing
the number of cars on the highways (for every bus full of
passengers 40 cars are removed from traffic). Therefore, public
transportation or the lack of efficient and affordable public
transportation has an impact on all of us!
Furthermore, the American
Automobile Association estimates that it costs $.52 per mile
to operate a current model car. If your commute is more
than two to three miles and public transportation is available,
public transportation can represent real cost savings (especially
if downtown parking costs are added).
Q:
I realize that traffic congestion is a problem. Isn't
that why we're widening our roads?
A:
Recent studies show that
wider highways actually tend to induce more traffic.
The increase in cars results in increased emissions of nitrous
oxides, a main component in the smog that blankets Southeastern
cities, especially during the summer.
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Q:
What's so important about pedestrian connectivity and walking?
A:
According to federal health
statistics, 65% of Americans are overweight. The average
American driver spends 443 hours per year behind the wheel.
Reid Ewing, an urban planner at Rutgers University, has studied
200,000 people in 448 different counties across America and
finds that, taking into account age, gender, race and diet,
the "walkability" of the neighborhood is a significant factor
when it comes to obesity. According to the Surgeon General,
creating more walkable communities and encouraging walking at
least 30 minutes per day are recommended to reduce obesity and
promote better health.
Q:
I LIKE my cul-de-sac and I don't want through-traffic!
A:
Cul-de-sacs do have a place
in subdivisions where there are natural barriers to connectivity.
However, many neighborhoods are designed with almost nothing
but cul-de-sacs: there is only one way in and out of the neighborhood
itself, and any streets within the neighborhood are dead-ends.
While this does eliminate non-residents cutting through the
neighborhood, it also gives residents very limited options,
and often means that traffic backs up into the neighborhood
during rush hour, as everyone tries to get out the same street.
It also severely limits emergency vehicle access, and limits
kids from being able to visit their friends in neighboring subdivisions
without taking bicycles or walking on main thoroughfares, or
being driven by a parent. (Studies show that children
who are always driven rather than walking or biking under their
own power tend to be less spatially-oriented as adults.)
Connective neighborhoods can be designed to be attractive, to
slow through traffic by means of street design or traffic-calming
devices, and to provide safety to bikers and walkers, all the
while providing multiple means of ingress and egress.
Mountainbrook-Beverly Woods East-Belingrath, in Charlotte, represent
an excellent example of connectivity. The roads are winding
and attractive, there are strategically-placed traffic calming
devices, and residents can get to any number of major thoroughfares
by an almost infinite number of routes. |
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