• spidermanchild
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    3 months ago

    The problem is the roads are already there. Like sure we could redevelop the entire area over decades but we could also add some speed bumps like next week while we get around to the hard work.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      3 months ago

      The Netherlands did it over the course of a few decades, probably less than 20 years. You’d be surprised how fast things go since bicycle infrastructure is so dirt cheap in comparison to car infrastructure.

      The next point is that what you’re saying is what you’ve been doing for decades, but nobody goes and actually fixes the issues at hand. I think it’s a cultural difference there too; in the Netherlands they constantly upgrade and change their infrastructure to make it all better whereas in the US, well, once a road is there it’ll better stay there for the next 50 years or so or maybe we’ll patch a little.

      They continously monitor all roads as well. If an intersection has more accidents than normal, it gets scrapped, redesigned and rebuilt safer. Usually it gets upgraded to much safer roundabout. Speeds get lowered. In Canada or the US you’ll be lucky if a stop sign is placed, wow!

      In my town in the Netherlands they lowered speeds throughout the city to from 50 to 30 kph, about 20mph. With most interactions now being roundabouts though, I can move faster there by car than I can here at home in Vancouver where speeds vary between 50 and 80 and mostly stopping at stop signs and traffic lights. Hell, anything under 5 miles, 8 kilometers, I can do faster by bike in the Netherlands than by car here in Canada. The Netherlands does what works.

      If you keep placing speed bumps, you’ll never get anywhere.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Ok, the road is too straight and wide: difficult to for pedestrians and an invitation to speeding.

      It’s interesting there is at least some parking on the side plus a center turn lane. So ….

      1. bump outs at each intersection to narrow the road and setting aside a parking lane. Traffic will slow because the bottleneck and pedestrians will be more visible and have a shorter crossing.
      2. The idiots called the center turn lane a median so make it so, partway. Instead of one continuous wide open turn lane, a raised median with cutouts for turn lanes. Now no one can drive there so you’re cutting dangerous driving, but you still have turn lanes. You constricted the road more so cars go slower. At this point you only have one driving lane in each direction.

      Seems easy enough to make a noticeable difference with less effort. However, if you wanted to redevelop, there’s room to go for protected bike lanes and roundabouts (actual roundabouts with signs and painted lines, not just obstacles in the street.

      And yes, speed bumps are the worst choice.