The golden rule

The Biking Rules campaign in New York City just came out with a great line of stickers.  I really like them and ordered an “I rest at reds” sticker.  This is a great counterpoint to my last post.  NYC is doing great stuff!

The Biking Rules campaign in New York City just came out with a great line of stickers.  I really like them and ordered an “I rest at reds” sticker.  This is a great counterpoint to my last post.  NYC is doing great stuff!

This is a great video of just about everyone acting badly.  I love the box-graphics that show the conflicts.  Bicycles appear to be extra bad– but really pedestrians are jay-walking and cars are routinely nudging in to crosswalks full of pedestrians.

A new StreetFilm on the amazing research of Donald Appleyard really brings to the front and center, the effect of traffic on community.  People who live on heavily trafficked streets don’t know as many neighbors, and don’t even know very well what their street looks like.  

Urban planners talk about the mobility vs. the place function of a street.  Is the street more about moving traffic or is it more about being a great and beautiful place to hang-out?  In the competition between getting around and this quality of a place… we need to strike a balance not only between the many users of the street, but between the traffic and the neighbors that live next to it.

A new StreetFilm on the amazing research of Donald Appleyard really brings to the front and center, the effect of traffic on community.  People who live on heavily trafficked streets don’t know as many neighbors, and don’t even know very well what their street looks like.  

Urban planners talk about the mobility vs. the place function of a street.  Is the street more about moving traffic or is it more about being a great and beautiful place to hang-out?  In the competition between getting around and this quality of a place… we need to strike a balance not only between the many users of the street, but between the traffic and the neighbors that live next to it.

A new effort has sprung up to increase dialogue between bicyclists and cars: the hi-cars project!

The idea is that a few actions we can take as cyclists will really improve our brand on the road.

There’s a make-a-video project this Saturday morning at the Livable Streets Office (100 Sydney Street, Cambridge) from 10AM to Noon.  We’ll break up in to small groups and design a video that we’ll produce right on the spot.   I’ll be there and I hope you will join me. 

For more info see: http://thehicarsproject.com/Home/  or email the organiser: konufer@gsd.harvard.edu

There’s much hand wringing about the behavior of drivers, bicyclists and walkers.  I saw an amazing speaker, Ben Hamilton Baillie, talk about an emerging trend in Europe: eliminating traffic lights, street markings and all the things we think are necessary for orderly traffic.  Sound crazy?  Check out the video below:

It’s easy to complain about speeding traffic– and why not.  Speed kills.  Bicyclists and pedestrians are especially vulnerable to speed.  One town in England is taking the bull by the horns.  Essentially.  In urban areas, the speed limit is set at 20 miles per hour.

If you happen to own a car, you can set the speed limit at 20MPH too.  On two lane city streets, your car sets the speed limit.

Civilstreets.org