NYC's Transportation Commissioner on Streets for People
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.24.08
NYC Gets Serious About Liveable Streets
Imagine reclaiming New York’s streets for people. It’s not as crazy as it sounds. The folks at StreetFilms have already covered the free bikes at Governors Island, new physically separated bike lanes in the Big Apple, and they’ve paid tribute to one of the city’s cycling heroes. And let’s not forget this year's successful Summer Streets event, inspired by Bogota’s Ciclovia. It really seems like changes are afoot in New York City, and a huge amount of credit deserves to go to Janette Sadik-Khan, the city’s current Commissioner of the Department of Transportation. StreetFilms decided to sit down and find out what she’s been up to.
The video above shows a conversation between The Open Planning Project's Executive Director, Mark Gorton, and the Commissioner, and covers everything from physically separated bike lanes to reclaiming public space for people, through freeing up bus lanes for faster mass transit, and even the psychology of the street – how cues from the environment can help create cultural shift in the city’s drivers. Inspiring stuff, and great to see such a great city looking beyond the idea of streets as thoroughfares.
More on Liveable Streets from our Friends at StreetFilms
Wikis Take Manhattan
StreetFilm’s Visits Boulder’s Contraflow Bike-Lane
Free Bikes for Governors Island
StreetFilms Covers Best of Bike to Work Day
Raised Cross-walks
Traffic-calming Chicanes
Bike Advocate Keeps Memory of Her Husband Alive
Clarence the Cycling Sasquatch
Bogota Shows How to Reinvent Cities
Bogota Revisited
StreetFilms Looks at Bus Rapid Transit in LA
Melbourne: A Pedestrian’s Paradise
Istanbul Learns from Bogota
Clarence: The Purple Traffic-Calming Wizard
Physically Separated Bike Lanes
NYC’s First Documented Bike Move?
StreetFilms Grades New Yorkers’ Bike Locking Abilities
Lady Liberty Dumps the Car and Marries Mass Transit
StreetFilms Animation Explores Diverters as Traffic Calming Measure
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
Local Food Rebuilds Small Town (And Inner-City) America
|
Gas Prices Fall, Will Fuel Consumption? + Ford Stock Cheaper Than Gas VIDEOS
|
As a native New Yorker I have to question the "reclaiming" of the streets for pedestrians.
As I grew up, one of the most important lessons I learned was to NEVER cross the street without looking BOTH ways (including one way streets). The underlying truth is that you enter the street AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Of course the pedestrian has the right of way, but when you jaywalk on a street with limited sight lines (ie. lots of large parked cars and trucks) with your head all filled with iTunes or your thumbs all busy texting, don't be surprised when you get hit by a car.
Oh and also..
There are streets that are safe for kids to play stickball right in the middle of, and there are streets that are essentially minor highways. The trick is to recognize the difference.
And respect it too.
@ Josh -
I see what you're trying to say, but I think you're missing the point. Yes, of course anyone needs to be careful entering a street. However, the focus for much of the last century has been to accommodate the automobile at the expense of pedestrians and bicyclists. The result on the urban form of many of our cities is clear - look at Houston, Phoenix, and the LA suburbs. I'm not saying axe the car, but I am saying that streets are for TRANSPORTATION, not automobiles. Bicycles and pedestrians are a very important part of the equation, especially as we review our over-consumption and unhealthy lifestyles.
Ryan,
Missing the point?
Of course bicycles and pedestrians are a crucial to the modern city, and I'm really impressed that NYC has created some bicycle specific infrastructure, it's a huge step in the right direction. As with all first steps it's a learning process and there are details to be refined. Regarding pedestrians, I believe there have been accommodations made for them since the invention of pavement. In my neighborhood the sidewalks are almost as wide as the streets themselves. Interestingly enough, they're quite popular.
I really believe that the problem is with attitudes and not infrastructure. It's simple... When the light turns red, STOP and that applies to cars, pedestrians, buses and bikes. Some jaywalking is impossible to eliminate and acceptable if it does not impede the bikes or cars on the road. Let's all respect the travelers around us and see how (or, I admit, if) the situation improves.