I DON'T WANT SELF DRIVING CARS!!!!
✔️ I want boring things like public transit that comes so regularly I don't need to check a schedule.
✔️ I want fast passenger rail so accessible and easy it's preferable to suffering airports.
✔️ I want cities that aren't built around cars-as-default
✔️ I want the country to own it.
@briankung @mikew12 I think the details depend on the suburb, but broadly speaking:
- Eliminate single family exclusive zoning and allow small-footprint commercial in all residential zones. (Think coffee shops, restaurants, small retail, etc.) Separation of uses spreads things out, making transit less useful
- Narrow streets/expand sidewalks/install protected bike lanes. Making walking safer and enabling safe cycling complements transit well
(1/n)
- Identify which existing transit routes get the most use (usually by people who have no other choice) and invest in them. Think better bus shelters, dedicated lanes where possible, more frequent service. Make transit something that people want to use, not just something they have to use
(2/n)
- Eliminate parking minimums and encourage building more densely. (Take a look at suburban parking lots from a satellite view sometime - they usually take up more space than the buildings!) Suburbs with large parking lots are by nature less transit-friendly than those without, because once you get off transit you're on foot. As with separation of uses, parking lots typically spread things out too much to make walking practical
(3/n)
I'll leave you with this: these are both pictures of suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey, not far from each other. One of these is pretty transit-friendly (and in fact has a very highly-used rail line into Philly), the other is not. It should be fairly obvious which is which. Be more like Collingswood (though it's not perfect!) and less like Cherry Hill
(4/4)
@briankung @mikew12 Anytime!
I'm actually in the process of moving to a suburb of Philly from the city, so this is something I've been keenly interested in lately. Suburbs can be great too 🙂
Mike W
Brian Kung
Jonathan Frederickson