Lessons from 100 years of urban experience with the automobile.

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Lessons from 100 years of urban experience with
the automobile.
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The 20th century was the century of the
automobile.
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Our country, our city, and our streets have
been transformed by the automobile
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Our transportation policies have been designed
to move as many cars as possible.  
Queens Boulevard 1973
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Sidewalks have been narrowed all across the
city.
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We have turned our streets into roads.
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The Fundamental Incompatibility of People and
Cars
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The Fundamental Incompatibility of People and
Cars
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During the 20th Century, the impact of traffic on
the human environment was an afterthought. 
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Traffic damages the human living environment. 
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"You can have a city that is friendly to cars or
friendly to people, you cannot have both." -
Enrique Penalosa
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Traffic has undermined street life.
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We have made our world a nasty mechanized place.
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Our society has mistakenly chosen traffic over
life.
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Traffic cripples the living environment for our
children.
Traffic cripples the living environment for our
children.
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The automobile has made life more difficult for
parents.
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Many senior citizens have difficulty
navigating their own world.
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Traffic harms human relationships.
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Traffic shrinks our home territory.
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The automobile is a rural technology that has
been misapplied to cities.
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Automobiles are a spatially inappropriate
technology for a dense city.
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The shift to the automobile has destroyed
transportation capacity.
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Today, 370,000 fewer people enter the CBD each
weekday than in 1948.     But 450,000 more cars
enter the CBD each weekday than in 1948.
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The automobile as a transportation technology in
NYC is a mistake for two classes of reasons
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1) Traffic undermines the livability of the
city. 2) The automobile does a poor job moving
people in a dense urban environment.
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Therefore
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The streets of NYC require a total
transformation.
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The recent changes are just the tip of the
iceberg.
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But people are afraid of change.
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Myth 1 Traffic is Inevitable
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Myth 2 Driving is Necessary to Support the
Economy
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Myth 3 Pedestrianization is bad for business
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Myth 4 Bicycling is a fringe activity.
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Myth 4 Bicycling is a fringe activity.
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So what do we do?
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Compress traffic by space and by time.
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Protect neighborhoods from traffic.
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Concentrate traffic onto main streets to get
huge livability gains with only a small loss
of road capacity.
City of Berkeley Traffic Engineering Average
Daily Traffic Volume
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Traffic Cells
Groningen, The Netherlands Traffic Cell Urban
Design
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Timed street closings block parties, summer
streets, play streets
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Smart Transportation Policies
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Parking Reform
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Congestion Pricing
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Improved Transit
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Car Sharing / Ride Sharing
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Comprehensive Bicycle Network
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And many more...
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We can have  huge livability benefits  and a
better transportation system. 
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Great Plazas 
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Great public spaces everywhere (big and small)
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Stickball commonplace - kids can play in the
street
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Comprehensive pedestrian network
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Great Boulevards
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Faster Commutes
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Very good vehicle access to all streets
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Vibrant neighborhoods
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The choice is ours.
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www.rethinktheauto.org