More People, Less Traffic
Whoops this one is 95% text. I originally mashed this out the morning of TdFMMA and printed like 10 copies before I ran out of printer paper.
PDF here. Feel free to print and distro wherever you are.
I redid the cover and doodles and made minor text edits. I feel like I can definitely word some things better, but I’m always way too fiddly with text… trying to find balance between endless edit cycles and just getting these out there. Printing, folding, and leaving these everywhere is time consuming enough as it is.
Anyway, “one less car” benefits drivers and always has.
Hard to tell here, but northbound cars crossing Fremont Bridge were backed up forever the other night. Dunno what was up, but it didn’t affect me. :V
Text transcription and links to sources below.
More People, Less Traffic
This city’s population is projected to grow significantly over the next few decades. Everyone has places to go, so usually, more people means more traffic. Many cities have responded by expanding roads and adding car lanes. But more lanes doesn’t mean better (or safer) traffic. It does limit people’s options though.
When car travel is the only mode a road accounts for, most people have no choice but to drive. And so there’s traffic. And more traffic. And no parking.
Not everyone can or wants to walk. Not everyone can or wants to bike. But what some people do, many people think about doing. Building roads that have space for and can accommodate people who want to walk or bike means more people can choose those options instead of driving. Every person who feels comfortable walking or biking is one less person driving a single-occupancy vehicle and needing to find somewhere to park it.
It’s commonly believed that adding bike lanes, especially at the expense of a car lane or street parking, increases traffic, slows travel times for cars, and harms local businesses along the road.
However, research has shown again and again that bike lanes have neutral or positive impacts in all of those categories. Traffic is reduced or unaffected. Car and freight travel times stay about the same. Businesses see similar or more foot traffic and sales.
Pedestrians feel more comfortable walking along streets with a bike lane, and cyclists are more likely to visit businesses along streets with bike lanes. Businesses with bike racks see those racks filled. Between 10 and 20 bikes can fit in the space of one car. Families who cycle with their young children may seem like a fringe trend, but each such family is one less minivan.
Even if you would never consider it, would it not benefit you if others are willing to drive less?
These are the facts:
We have finite space in our cities. Cars take up a lot of space.
Some people love driving, but lots of people drive only because they feel they have no choice. They don’t feel safe walking or biking, and they find transit unreliable. Transit reliability can be improved with dedicated lanes. Bike safety can be improved with dedicated lanes. Pedestrian safety can be improved with wider sidewalks, more crosswalks, and updated traffic signaling.
These improvements often require some sacrifice of the space we’ve already dedicated to cars. They’re long-term investments in a future that will inevitably see our population continue to grow.
The status quo will only see traffic worsen as population grows. Adding car lanes may result in short-term congestion relief, but long-term, it will only trap our communities into being reliant on a singular mode of transportation.
And traffic will really suck.
Weingart, E. (2023, Jan 6) Widening Highways Doesn’t Fix Traffic. So Why Do We Keep Doing It?, New York Times.
Bancroft, E. (2023, Dec 5) Data shows more people biking & walking along West Marginal Way SW without impacting freight travel, SDOT Blog.
Thompson, C. (2023, Jan 24) The Battle Over Bike Lanes Needs a Mindset Shift, The Wired.
Rowe, K. (2013, July 19) Bikenomics, Measuring the Economic Impact of Bicycle Facilities on Neighborhood Business Districts (PDF). UW College of Built Environments.
