Comments on: Thank You for the Extra Car-Free Hour, And… http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:49:03 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Hilary http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/comment-page-1/#comment-35423 Hilary Tue, 14 Aug 2007 02:32:22 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/#comment-35423 I neglected to say in the above post that demand-reduction techniques can and should be applied in neighborhoods and parks throughout the city, not just in Central and Prospect Parks. I neglected to say in the above post that demand-reduction techniques can and should be applied in neighborhoods and parks throughout the city, not just in Central and Prospect Parks.

]]> By: Hilary http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/comment-page-1/#comment-35422 Hilary Tue, 14 Aug 2007 02:29:10 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/#comment-35422 SPer makes a very important point: If drivers are restricted... and not allowed to speed, drivers would not choose the park drives in the first place." Every time we reconfigure our roads and infrastructure to enable traffic to move faster, with design speeds far beyond posted speed limits, we are inducing demand. Dismantling this mindset will be huge. The DOT's have successfully carried out a policy of speeding up traffic to reduce congestion. The new message must be "reduce the numbers and reduce the speed" in order to reduce the demand for driving. The good thing is that engineers tend to be utterly competent and rational. Given clear objectives, they will deliver the right solution. SPer makes a very important point: If drivers are restricted... and not allowed to speed, drivers would not choose the park drives in the first place." Every time we reconfigure our roads and infrastructure to enable traffic to move faster, with design speeds far beyond posted speed limits, we are inducing demand. Dismantling this mindset will be huge. The DOT's have successfully carried out a policy of speeding up traffic to reduce congestion. The new message must be "reduce the numbers and reduce the speed" in order to reduce the demand for driving. The good thing is that engineers tend to be utterly competent and rational. Given clear objectives, they will deliver the right solution.

]]> By: SPer http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/comment-page-1/#comment-35420 SPer Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:56:18 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/#comment-35420 The allocation of space on Prospect Drives during evening "car-unfree" hours is grotesque. The running & biking lanes are full and even crowded, depending on the weather; the car lanes are not. Cars should definitely be restricted to one lane. Well, they shouldn't be in the park at all, but maybe if they were restricted to one lane and not allowed to speed, drivers would not choose the park drives in the first place. The allocation of space on Prospect Drives during evening "car-unfree" hours is grotesque. The running & biking lanes are full and even crowded, depending on the weather; the car lanes are not. Cars should definitely be restricted to one lane. Well, they shouldn't be in the park at all, but maybe if they were restricted to one lane and not allowed to speed, drivers would not choose the park drives in the first place.

]]> By: d http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/comment-page-1/#comment-35399 d Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:36:28 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/13/thank-you-for-the-extra-car-free-hour-and/#comment-35399 Send an email to DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan with your support for the measures listed above by using this link: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildot.html As we head into the end of the summer and as daylight becomes scarce, it will be impossible for many city residents to use the parks after work during car-free hours. The DOT should extend car-free hours in the evening and in the morning with the eventual goal of getting cars out of the parks altogether. (I would add enforcing speed limits in the park, or lowering the speed limit, as another goal on the road to car-free parks.) There is a lot of momentum out there for car-free parks. A bike- and pedestrian-friendly commissioner is a good thing, but she'll need pressure from everyday citizens if she's to overcome the powerful interests that keep the parks open to cars. Send an email to DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan with your support for the measures listed above by using this link:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildot.html

As we head into the end of the summer and as daylight becomes scarce, it will be impossible for many city residents to use the parks after work during car-free hours. The DOT should extend car-free hours in the evening and in the morning with the eventual goal of getting cars out of the parks altogether.

(I would add enforcing speed limits in the park, or lowering the speed limit, as another goal on the road to car-free parks.)

There is a lot of momentum out there for car-free parks. A bike- and pedestrian-friendly commissioner is a good thing, but she'll need pressure from everyday citizens if she's to overcome the powerful interests that keep the parks open to cars.

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