The City Fix

Legislation is one part of the correct answer, but not all of it. Here in the Netherlands there's "strict liability" [0], in which the driver is always liable for at least 50% of the damage, and usually 100% liable, but that is only a part of the solution. The law is worth very little without proper infrastructure. Infrastructure that provides clear and physical separation works, as demonstrated by Oslo's zero cyclist fatalaties [1]. [0] https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/strict-liability-in-the-… [1] https://thecityfix.com/blog/how-oslo-achieved-zero-pedestrian-and-bicy…

Glad to see this coming to SF. It's one of the things that I miss the most from Mexico City, where the EcoBici (http://thecityfix.com/blog/mexico-city-launches-ecobici-bike-sharing-p… program its one of the best ways to get around on the upscale neighborhoods.

Speaking of Oslo and bicycles, I just want to add an amazing statistic that surfaced a couple of years ago here on Hacker News: Oslo has a zero pedestrian and bicycle mortality rate! https://thecityfix.com/blog/how-oslo-achieved-zero-pedestrian-and-bicy… > In 2015, the political climate and public will in the City of Oslo changed the tone on accepting continued surface transportation fatalities. The mayor, city council and transport division staff all supported a shift in roadway decision-making from car-centric to people-centric. [...] Neighboring capitals with similar progressive bicycle cultures (Denmark, Sweden) have somewhat low but non-zero mortality rate as Oslo had 6 years ago. So the policies definitely make a change, but it's the consequence of a culture. You won't see American politicians suggesting a ban on cars in big cities.

"Stroad" seems to be a recently popularized by strongtowns. I'm curious if anyone has actually managed to measure this sort of thing? My suspicion is that it "stroads" are essentially to-wide streets, and it should be possible to find research indicating that streets should be narrower, because widening them causes people to drive too fast. I was only able to find the following, coverage, though: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/05/27/compelling-evidence-t... https://thecityfix.com/blog/bigger-isnt-always-better-narrow... They both seem to fundamentally go back to a single conference paper, "Narrower Lanes, Safer Streets." I don't know those blogs, and a single conference paper is -- I mean the paper is probably good but, hard to build a case on just one paper. What is up with this? Computer engineers produce reams and reams of papers. Where are the civ.Es hiding their secrets? edit: changed slightly, original text seemed unintentionally dismissive.

https://thecityfix.com/blog/how-bogota-is-turning-7000-citizen-proposa… Here's a "success story." Cities spend lots of time gathering feedback from citizens on transportation changes, but the feedback process can often exclude people who don't have time to physically go to town hall-type meetings. Or for those who do go, the options presented might not be easy to understand. And it's even harder for attendees to pitch their own variation. Streetmix made all of this easier, and it seems like it worked well in Bogotá.

This illustrates that if drivers feel less safe then they drive more safely and pay attention more. It is one of motivations for removing all signage so drivers feel less safe permamently. http://thecityfix.com/blog/naked-streets-without-traffic-lights-improv… https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/04/removal-road-mar…

There's a lot of science behind the idea: http://jalopnik.com/5533260/why-street-signs-make-traffic-more-dangero… http://thecityfix.com/blog/naked-streets-without-traffic-lights-improv… http://www.wired.com/2004/12/traffic/

I’m not sure why there is such a negative opinion of rapid bus service. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a modern, established and well-researched alternative to subways. In fact, when implemented similar to light-rail, the speed of BRT can be comparable to subways. https://thecityfix.com/blog/are-trains-better-than-bus-rapid-transit-s… With BRT, city traffic flow must be adjusted. But this is a good thing: less cars in the inner city encourages use of public transportation. Commercial interests have traditionally balked at reducing car traffic in the inner city. There is fear that if people can’t drive to their store, they won’t come at all. But in the post-Covid reality, retail in the inner city is primarily for inner city dwellers-not for suburbanites. Work-from-home keeps many in the suburbs anyway. And finally, online retail is continuing to grow. The time has come for commercial real estate interests to recognize that the value of their properties is in the uniqueness of the most valuable aspect of the city experience. Their commercial spaces need to become “experience destinations”. This experience can only be enhanced by clean and comfortable rapid transit. BRT is roughly 20% of the cost of subways. https://www.masstransitmag.com/bus/infrastructure/article/21249339/a-c…

It says "Accidents" are 173,040, traffic fatalities would then comprise 20% of all accidents. Aside from suicide, the rest of the top 10 causes are medical causes broadly associated with aging (which I'm sure many on this forum would also assert is preventable/curable.) FSD is perhaps the ultimate solution but there are common-sense road fixes that can be applied, a la Oslo, Norway which achieved zero annual traffic fatalities: https://thecityfix.com/blog/how-oslo-achieved-zero-pedestrian-and-bicy… FYI here is the article for the death of my friend. The philosophical differences between DOT and safety advocates are quite infuriating: https://pamplinmedia.com/scc/103-news/199653-buttressing-safety-of-bar… [Don Hamilton, Oregon DOT public information officer] "There's nothing that engineering can do to stop drivers from harming themselves, and there's no way we can engineer from an irresponsible behavior." [Roger Averbeck, Chairman Southwest Neighborhoods Inc. Transportation Committee] "It's a very wide roadway (with a) wide cross section, very wide traffic lanes… ong distances in between traffic signals and safe crossing locations… and particularly in this… historic section, the land use is set way back away from the road with parking lots between the businesses and sidewalks. …This creates this wide, open environment that is definitely a factor in people’s behavior. People do not drive that fast… through…

The impression I got from Amsterdam is that the city (and by extension the Dutch) has simply accepted all the behaviors that cyclists will do in a less cyclist friendly environment (run stop signs, ignore pedestrians, turn without signing and so on), and then just built infrastructure to support that natural behavior. As a pedestrian unfamiliar with the city, at first I found it hugely annoying that so little space was left to pedestrians, but once I figured out where not to stand, I started to have a much better appreciation for how it contributes the functioning of the city. In fact, I was kind of surprised at how little boat traffic there is these days. Having read and watched some videos on how the Netherlands does road planning for safety, the approach seems to be a much more "descriptive" approach to adapting road shapes and forms and cycle lanes to the natural behavior of people using those modes of transportation. For example, squeezing the width of lanes down naturally causes car drivers to slow rather than covering the area with signs telling drivers to slow down. This approach is slowly being adopted elsewhere (http://thecityfix.com/blog/naked-streets-without-traffic-lights-improv… Lots of thought also into mixed-mode junction design https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpQMgbDJPok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA

Maybe we don't: "“Naked Streets” Without Traffic Lights Improve Flow and Safety" An article in a local Bristol newspaper explaining the effort stated, “drivers will now be expected to use a combination of common sense and courtesy to negotiate the junction of the town’s High Street, Wyndam Way and The Cabstand.” http://thecityfix.com/blog/naked-streets-without-traffic-lights-improv… "Removing Roads and Traffic Lights Speeds Urban Travel" Another kind of anarchy could actually speed travel as well—namely, a counterintuitive traffic design strategy known as shared streets. The practice encourages driver anarchy by removing traffic lights, street markings, and boundaries between the street and sidewalk. Studies conducted in northern Europe, where shared streets are common, point to improved safety and traffic flow. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/removing-roads-and-traffic-l…

>If you permanently eliminate the CEO position, there is multiple orders of magnitude greater impact to the company. Then why do companies with flat hierarchies exist and operate just fine? You don't need someone at the top because you don't need a top. See: * http://mariewiere.com/2012/03/04/a-company-that-manages-without-manage… * http://agile-commentary.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/bees-self-organize-why-… The interesting thing about people, and any social, intelligent agents is that they self-organize. Even bees (intelligent, social agents) do this: http://www.pnas.org/content/96/22/12611.full So do ants: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterns_of_self-organization_in_ants We can even manage traffic without direction: http://thecityfix.com/blog/naked-streets-without-traffic-lights-improv… The biggest myths of our societies are that we need a hierarchy, directions and managers. We're quite capable of leading ourselves and getting everything done. And more efficiently, no less.