Traffic calming plans, always a hot potato?
I was struck by this Observer piece on the weekend, describing pandemic traffic calming problems in England, mostly in London: “emergency low-traffic neighbourhoods… restrictions on through traffic… modest traffic management changes have sparked sometimes bitter rows… a culture war is breaking out… demonstrations… petitions demanding the removal of low-traffic neighbourhood schemes…”
Familiar? Totally.
I haven’t studied other cities, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the left-right divide isn’t playing out in similar, predictable ways elsewhere too.
Apropos, a La Presse op-ed points out how little road space is still given, after all this hot air, to other means of transport than the car.
Ian 16:08 on 2020-09-21 Permalink
Funny you see it as left-right, I see it as a class divide. I’m sure there are many factors at play.
Ian 17:32 on 2020-09-21 Permalink
For instance, in the Point there is a groundswell of residents wanting their elected representatives to focus on issues they are concerned with instead of distracting from through situation with what they see as eye candy.
Via one of my friends, an ardent bicyclist and activist in the Point who attended a council meeting:
“What I learned from taking democracy for a test drive is:
the City cares a lot about trees and bike lanes and this is what they spent most of their time talking about
the public cares about affordable housing, and traffic safety and this is exactly what the City did not spend much time talking about until questioned about it
the Borough mayor “deplores” that people are trying to organize to have their voices heard over a controversial project
the borough’s idea of diversity appears to be hiring people from France”
If you see this as a left/right thing I think that’s a superficial gloss, even the article you posted on hinted at class strife, yuppie enclaves, gentrification, and a host of other issues.
Kate 18:11 on 2020-09-21 Permalink
Ian, it may be that after reading the UK piece I was struck by the left/right Labour/Conservative bias I could feel in it. Our gradients are somewhat different.
Although I would say that, with your issues, the Projet bike lanes thing is at least an attempt to address the traffic safety issue you mention on the public side.
John B 18:20 on 2020-09-21 Permalink
Meanwhile, in Paris, “les coronapistes seront pérennisées“, including rue Rivoli, which is apparently one of the main streets, and currently looks like this, (if the embed works):
Ian 18:45 on 2020-09-21 Permalink
Well to be specific she was talking about the new configurations in the Point specifically like on Island, which are kind of confusing and weird for both bicyclists and pedestrians – many regular cyclists are saying the old bike path configuration was safer, in fact, but PM know best & has spent lots of money on consultations as we now know, and has a big plan for the road network that’s far beyond the ken of mere citizens. The issues in the Plateau are somewhat different but the opacity and unwillingness to consider the views of those that have not imbibed the koolaid is very similar.
azrhey 19:38 on 2020-09-21 Permalink
Having lived in London 2014-2018 , Drama went a little bit like this
*upper class borough drops its speed limit from 40 to 30 and from 30 to 20 mph in their streets to discourage thourough traffic and engine noise.
*middle class boroughs complain about increased traffic and complain about safety and will someone think of the children. They lower their speed limits too*
*working class boroughs asphixiate with all the extra traffic and complain about traffic speeds and safety, demand they lower speed limits for them too*
*upper and middle class people complain very loudly that lowering speed limits in “commercial boroughs” (poor, they mean poor) will impeed traffic and prevent them to travel freely around the city and OMG will the greens stop wanting to lower traffic speed everywhere.
wash. rince. repeat.
Kate 20:20 on 2020-09-21 Permalink
John B, are people in Paris also kvetching endlessly about it, though?
azrhey, I am not surprised.
John B 20:34 on 2020-09-21 Permalink
Seems like a lot of the same arguments we see in Montreal: https://twitter.com/BFMParis/status/1306122218552864769
But Anne Hidalgo seems to have managed to reclaim a lot of Paris from cars, at least from what I can tell from this side of the ocean, and has managed to win re-election at least once, which I worry won’t happen here.
Jonathan 09:54 on 2020-09-22 Permalink
This episode of the War on Cars really sums it up pretty well.
https://thewaroncars.org/2018/10/30/cars-and-the-culture-wars/