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The Semantics of Transport

9/24/2013

I've been giving some thought to the way we describe modes of transport and what that means for the importance we place on each mode.

We have pedestrians, cyclists, bikers - all action terms for people on the move.

Then we have cars, trucks, taxis, buses, trains, bicycles, motorbikes and the generic term traffic. These terms refer to inanimate objects being ridden or driven by people.

According to the National Household Travel Survey data from 2009 collected by US Department of Transportation US Highway Administration, the average occupancy of car trips is 1.55. It is lower for work: 1.13, and higher for recreation: 2.2 as would be expected. However you look at it, that's a LOT of trips taken with only the driver in the car. Trucks (excluding pickup trucks) average 1.1 occupants which comes in even lower than motorcycles with an average of 1.16.

So, with these figures in mind, how differently do we view the two sentences below?

"It is important to keep traffic moving and design roads to reduce traffic congestion."
"It is important to keep drivers moving and design roads to reduce driver congestion."

I'm not saying congestion doesn't matter but I do think we should be consistent with our terminology. We are talking primarily about the movement of people and I see no reason why a car - taking up more space and using up more energy - should be given priority over those of us choosing to travel on foot or by bicycle. And yet our roadways consistently give precedence to drivers. Let's remember that they are just people, just like the rest of us.

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Damaged Roads, No Money

9/17/2013

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Planetizen recently reported on the decision in Texas to turn some paved roads back into gravel. "Unable to find funding to repair roads damaged by the booming oil industry traffic, Texas will convert asphalt roads to gravel. Texas's gas tax is among the lowest in the nation."

As well as having a low gas tax a move to apply extra "fees to energy companies whose trucks appear to be the major source of the road damage" has "failed to gain traction".

There are several interesting points to this story.

Who should responsible for repairing the damage? Can a single user group be singled out? Why has the move to apply extra fees to an industry known to be causing damage "failed to gain traction"?

The speed limit will be reduced to 30 mph when these roads revert to gravel. Will drivers adhere to this? Will accident rates go up or down? Will the change to gravel lower property values as some land owners fear? Will this make any difference to the safety of pedestrians? Are there any pedestrians? These are rural "farm to market" road so maybe not.

i don't have any answers but it will be interesting to follow the effects of this decision. Push back against the change is gaining momentum but if the state listens and finds the money to repair the roads and keep them in asphalt, where will the money come from? One option under consideration is to divert money from Texas's Rainy Day Fund but since when is maintenance of infrastructure a 'Rainy Day" situation? This is maintenance after all.

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Tired of playing chicken

9/5/2013

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Exiting the New Rochelle train station onto North Avenue and crossing the street provides an adrenaline spike to the day. It doesn't have to be this way.

The photo shows an example from City Repair of an Intersection Repair, a process where residents "decide that they want the public square, what it will look like, how it will function and how it will develop. One neighborhood may paint a giant mural on the intersection and stop there. Another may go through many phases: painting the street, installing a community bulletin board, building a mini-cafe on a corner, reconstructing the intersection with brick and cobblestones, opening businesses to make it a village center… and on and on!"

These initiatives do not necessarily close an area to cars but rather create a shared space "that make drivers move more slowly and expect pedestrians".

City Repair is an organization that "is an organized group action that educates and inspires communities and individuals to creatively transform the places where they live".

How about creating a North Avenue repair?

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Walk Every Street - Walk 6 August 19, 2013

9/3/2013

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Our local supermarket closed down. We are unhappy. The sign says it is closed for major renovations but rumor has it that 'renovations' means conversion to other retail outlets not the return of a supermarket. This has left us having to forage further afield so we recently walked to Stop and Shop in Main Street as our sixth New Rochelle challenge walk.

I don't like going to this Stop and Shop. Not because of the supermarket itself but because the only way in for pedestrians is via a below street level parking lot. It smells bad, it is dark, ugly and has poor access if you are not in a car.

On the plus side this walk took us past the Church Street/Division Street parking building. Discussions held as part of the current New Rochelle Comprehensive Plan outreach have included a LOT of feedback about parking. Parking is a highly emotive topic and several people were adamant that New Rochelle needs more parking AND it should be FREE. I disagree on both counts. As I may have mentioned before, parking is never free, it is simply a question of who pays for it. And New Rochelle has sustainability goals including to: "Facilitate and encourage the use of sustainable transportation options, including walking, bicycling,carpooling and mass transit, while also reducing traffic congestion and enhancing the safety and efficiency of transportation routes." (page 95 of GreeNR 2010). To reach this goal means encouraging modes of transport other than driving private cars so in my opinion it has plenty of parking.

I have never seen the off street parking near Main Street at anything like capacity so why do people think there is not enough?

I believe one of the reasons is that the signage is so poor many people don't know what's available. I tested this with friends who told me that they would have no idea where to look for off street parking in New Rochelle and yes, these are people who drive and who visit downtown New Rochelle from time to time. Can we please do something to make the parking visible? More and more city centers have prominent Parking signs guiding people from the main thoroughfares to parking buildings. For some reason New Rochelle doesn't yet do this.

Anyway, the Church/Division Streets parking building is only one short block back from Main Street but it's not obvious, has very definite maintenance challenges, and is poorly lit. As a result it has its detractors but I have to confess to liking it. Built in the 1970s it is very much a product of its time.

The strategically placed small tree in the foreground nicely screens a graffiti covered piece of plywood where a door used to be. In fact this whole tower has been taken out of circulation and this plus a stern sign on a tower at the other end leaves me assuming there were problems in the past with damage or antisocial behavior. Perhaps getting the local police out of their cars and back walking around the city center would help.

The future of this building is unknown and I'm hoping it is not replaced by a bigger parking structure. Instead I hope the city focuses on the incredibly large surface parking lot opposite this one which is also never full and seems like such an underutilized opportunity in the center city. I also would love to see more joined up policy where GreeNR's sustainability goals, the 2012 Citizen's Budget Panel report, the new yet to be completed Comprehensive Plan, and the work of the various relevant departments of City Hall can come together to create a more cohesive, multi-modal center for this great little city.

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Author: Nina Arron

I am an enthusiastic pedestrian, urban planner, and project manager currently living in New Rochelle, New York. I am grateful to be living in a walkable city with affordable easily accessible public transport (both trains and buses). My appreciation became even greater after spending three years back in New Zealand where it was much harder to fit daily walking into my life in what is considered one of the great natural, green environments in the world.

The Semantics of Transport

Damaged Roads, No Money

Tired of playing chicken

Walk Every Street - Walk 6 August 19, 2013

Author: Nina Arron

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