Out of Town
Streetsblog Basics
StreetFilms: Berkeley’s Bike Boulevards
"Bicycle Boulevards really gives the cyclist the sense of owning the road and being able to take the lane and being able to be in the middle of the street where they can avoid the door zone. Cars are expecting that they're going to have to wait for bikes and that they're going to be seeing bikes. It's not going to be a confrontational thing if a cyclist is the middle of the road because it's expected on these streets."
January 24, 2007
Don’t Ask Me About My Hummer
From the political left, concern is growing about global warming. From the political right, concern is growing about the United States funding both sides on the war on terror. Health officials worry about a national epidemic of obesity and high urban asthma rates, urbanists are concerned with degraded, atrophied public spaces.
January 24, 2007
The Known Unknowns of New York City’s Streets
Unlike New York, Copenhagen, Denmark's planners measure city streets for much more than "Vehicular Level of Service." This map, for example, quantifies stationary activities on a summer weekday in the city center. From Public Spaces Public Life by Lars Gemzoe and Jan Gehl, 1996.
January 23, 2007
UK Carbon-Reduction Activists in a Quiet “Riot for Austerity”
While Americans are just waking up to the idea that they might have to do something about climate change, small groups of self-styled carbon-reduction activists in the United Kingdom are taking personal accountability for their emissions to the next level, as reported in the Observer of London.
January 23, 2007
New Congestion Pricing Poll in Line With London & Stockholm
A new Quinnipiac Poll finds that New York City voters oppose the idea of congestion pricing by a margin of about two-to-one and the idea of East River Bridge tolls by more than four-to-one. The opposition exists despite the finding that only 24 percent of New York City voters surveyed "usually travel into and out of Manhattan by car."
January 18, 2007
Homemade Traffic Calming in Mexico’s Yucatan
From Wired Magazine co-founder Kevin Kelly’s web site Throughout Mexico “topes” or speed bumps, are ubiquitous. These can be metal pods arrayed across the road, or asphalt humps, or even significant concrete wedges. You really do have to slow down, and almost stop to crawl over them. There is usually a sign warning they are … Continued
January 17, 2007
Traffic Signals Timed for Bicycling
Here is an interesting bike infrastructure story out of Copenhagen, Denmark. 30,000 Cyclists Get the Green Wave:
January 17, 2007
Reverse Graffiti
Who is the big bad graffito -- all of those automobile tailpipes or the guy scrubbing soot off the wall of this tunnel in Sao Paulo? A Streetsblog tipster sends along news about a cool new urban art form:
January 15, 2007
Bicoastal Garbage Disposal Practices
Via a Streetsblog tipster: In Valley Village, Calif., near L.A., people leave their trash in the bike lane for the convenience of the sanitation crews.
January 11, 2007
Playable Streets
The New York Times has a story today about efforts underway to develop a creative new playground near the South Street Seaport. The city has been working with David
Rockwell interior designer for Nobu and the Mohegan Sun Casino, on a playground that eschews traditional playground aparati in favor of foam blocks,
water, cardboard tubes, burlap bags, ramps, climbing nets and, most interesting, "play workers" to attend to the facility and guide kids through it. Gothamist, as always, provides a nice synposis.
January 10, 2007