J. Thian’s Post

Love this article from the CBC about bike lanes. The fact is, we know that the only real way to reduce congestion on the roads is to reduce the number of people in cars, and the best way to do that is with giving alternatives to driving. The reality is, there are always going to be trips where people have to drive for practical reasons, or where people would prefer to drive. But there are also often situations where, if there were a viable alternative, many people would take it (I can't tell you how many times I've been stuck on the 401 wishing there had been a viable train schedule for my trip). Every person who takes their bike (or walks) instead of taking their car is one less vehicle in front of you in traffic. https://lnkd.in/gR8rdHhC

Bottom line: No. Bike lanes don't cause congestion. Because of "induced demand" -> more car lanes = more cars, a never-ending battle. For the exact same reason in the opposite direction, more transit, more bike lanes, better choices leads to consumers forgoing cars entirely. But it's not instantaneous. What do businesses say about change management? https://lnkd.in/g7Wqr7uS

There are often models, solutions, lessons from other domains which we can apply to our domain. Here are some parallels I see in the article regards to building energy use: "Conventional wisdom thinks of car traffic as a liquid, where adding capacity (ie. width) keeps it flowing. But in reality it acts more like a gas, where it expands to fill the amount of space available. And the only proven way to relieve congestion is to evaporate some of it..." Instead of adding more cooling capacity, what if we try to relieve demand by reducing demand? "Replacing a nominal number of car trips during peak periods by offering choices is a far more effective and economical strategy than perpetuating the vicious circle of adding road capacity; something that only induces more driving and moves bottlenecks to other parts of the city." What if we give people the option to use fans, open windows, have more non-ventilated areas to work out of in the office? "While some cynically point to bike lanes as a source of congestion, they are paradoxically part of the solution. Cities address overcrowded road space not by producing more of it, but utilizing it more efficiently—enabling alternatives for those who want to get out of their cars." Buildings address energy use not (only) by producing more energy eg. installing solar panels, but also by increasing energy efficiency eg. asset upgrades or by reducing energy use eg. by operating existing equipment more intelligently.

The point should be true for the UK aswell, the more infrastructure for cycling is being provided, the more people will take it up. In Holland the network of segregated cycle routes along major roads and through neighbourhoods and city centre are especially effective in creating a convenient and safe environment for everybody to cycle, including less confident or experienced cyclist including children. Unless the same quality of infrastructure is provided in the UK, that people feel comfortable for their children to use by themselves, we will continue to lag behind.

[…] Waze’s Driver Satisfaction Index—which analyzes the experiences of 65 million users in 38 countries and 235 cities—regularly names The Netherlands the most pleasant place in the world to drive, specifically referencing its “smooth traffic conditions” and “solid road quality”. It is somewhat counterintuitive, but a key ingredient in creating the world’s most satisfied drivers is providing the freedom to leave the car at home; offering the ability to walk or cycle for short trips, tram or bus for longer ones, and fast, frequent rail for intercity trips. […]

This is clearly articulated, and important to realize.

Conventional wisdom thinks of car traffic as a liquid, where adding capacity (ie. width) keeps it flowing. But in reality it acts more like a gas, where it expands to fill the amount of space available. And the only proven way to relieve congestion is to evaporate some of it... Case in point: The Netherlands boasts a 150,000 km network of high-quality bike infrastructure in a 41,500 km² country, with 24 million bicycles for 18 million residents—who now make a quarter of their daily trips by pedal power. Sounds like a driver’s worst nightmare doesn’t it? But Waze’s Driver Satisfaction Index—which analyzes the experiences of 65 million users in 38 countries and 235 cities—regularly names The Netherlands the most pleasant place in the world to drive, specifically referencing its “smooth traffic conditions” and “solid road quality”. It is somewhat counterintuitive, but a key ingredient in creating the world’s most satisfied drivers is providing the freedom to leave the car at home; offering the ability to walk or cycle for short trips, tram or bus for longer ones, and fast, frequent rail for intercity trips. With fewer motorists clogging up roads, precious space is freed up for those who still want or need to drive, particularly freight and emergency vehicles. In addition to reducing traffic congestion, this decreases the need for maintenance due to wear-and-tear. A textbook win-win! While some cynically point to bike lanes as a source of congestion, they are paradoxically part of the solution. Cities address overcrowded road space not by producing more of it, but utilizing it more efficiently—enabling alternatives for those who want to get out of their cars. Replacing a nominal number of car trips during peak periods by offering choices is a far more effective and economical strategy than perpetuating the vicious circle of adding road capacity; something that only induces more driving and moves bottlenecks to other parts of the city. After all, to quote former City of Vancouver Chief Planner Brent Toderian: “If you design a city for cars, it fails for everyone, including drivers. If you design a multi-modal city that prioritizes walking, biking, and public transport, it works for everyone, including drivers”.

One has to wonder if any thought has been given to the role of increasing vehicle size on traffic flow and congestion in high population density urban areas? Large vehicles require more space. The number of large pickup trucks and SUVs is growing even in cities like Toronto and they simply take up more room on the road than smaller compact vehicles. Where there is an F150, there could be two or three little Fiats. Is there any research on this by urban transport planners and designers? #congestion #automobiles #traffic

How Bike Lanes Slow Drivers and Save Lives | New research shows that by slowing cars at intersections, bike lanes increase safety for all road users. The things we've known for years and that active transport and bike advocates have been telling us for years...but alas, maybe the research will be what pushes policies and electeds further. #bikelanes #activetransportation #bikesafety #visionzero https://buff.ly/3NUrjtX

In opposition to bicycle infrastructure (and sometimes bicyclists as a whole), drivers love to blame the incompatibility of vehicles and bicycles on reckless and pretentious bicyclists weaving through traffic and running stop signs. Now, I’m not saying it’s right. But, I’m also not saying it’s wrong. There is a lot of validity in following the rules of the road to maintain safety. But what drivers–and even many cyclists–fail to realize is that the rules of the road were established for motor vehicles, to maintain a relative sense of safety on the road and in our streets. Stop signs, traffic lights, passing and no-passing zones. These are all measures to regulate and control drivers to compensate for their limited awareness of their surroundings. They are necessary because a small mistake or oversight in a motor vehicle could be fatal. But, while drivers are tucked away in cushioned metal boxes shielded from their surroundings, a bicyclist has relatively frictionless access to a 360º view of their surroundings at all times–including the soundscape. A bicyclist can determine oncoming cross-traffic at an intersection long before a driver ever could. So when you see a bicyclist rolling through a stop sign, or passing a long line of idled cars to assess cross-traffic from the crosswalk, and before you insist that they ought to wait behind your idling car inhaling the toxic fumes from your exhaust, know that the bicyclist is likely using their best judgment which, in a world built for cars, is one of the very small luxuries they can enjoy. This isn't an endorsement of reckless riding; safety should always be the priority for all road users. But, it's not the cyclist's fault that drivers are gridlocked with all other drivers. There is a stark difference between the experience and capabilities of drivers and cyclists that mustn't be ignored, and the insistence that bicyclists adhere to the traffic controls of vehicular travel overshadows the inefficiency of the system itself. See: uncontrolled intersections in the Netherlands in which bicyclists seamlessly pass through from all directions using nothing more than innate social code and human interaction. #citiesforpeople #bicycles #multimodal #transportation #urbanplanning