Greg KamprathJan 13, 2023
Lior Steinberg 

What will happen if we’ll RETHINK our street corners?

We'll realize that until now, we've made them too car-centric. Street corners are designed for fast driving, which means pedestrians have to risk their safety just to cross the street.

But if we’ll rethink our street corners we’ll get

■ More space for pedestrians
■ Shorter crossing distance and time
■ Greener spaces
■ Safer Streets
■ Beautiful street corners

A great example from PGAA Creative Design in Manila

Dec 29, 2022 at 10:53amWeb
Show threadDweeb🇺🇦🚲🟧💊Dec 29, 2022
@LiorSteinberg
Given a choice, who wouldn't want this!
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKDec 29, 2022
@LiorSteinberg this also even makes the junction safer for drivers (including those who have parked their cars in the designated spaces), by reducing traffic speeds and encouraging better observation when turning...
Show threadTomDec 29, 2022
@LiorSteinberg I always love concepts like this! Shows the potential of rethinking our cities!
Show threadfirewyreDec 29, 2022
@LiorSteinberg cool, but no one's grandma is making that tight turn
Show threadLanda Jan 2, 2023
@firewyre @LiorSteinberg Why? Doesn't look that bad to me. Judging by the cars parking, it's a one-way street going top-right anyway.
Show threadSteffiFeeDec 29, 2022
@LiorSteinberg i can only see the negative example. ☹️
Show threadmindstalkDec 30, 2022
@machmalachma @LiorSteinberg It's an animated GIF, that cycles from bad to good.
Show threadSteffiFeeDec 30, 2022
@mindstalk @LiorSteinberg can‘t see that 😔
Show threadtrissc̈hen (old account)Dec 30, 2022
@machmalachma @mindstalk @LiorSteinberg here's the still image from the end
Show threadSteffiFeeDec 30, 2022
@trisschen @mindstalk @LiorSteinberg 👍🏻 thanks! Looks great
Show threadKaminskiMed Dec 29, 2022
@LiorSteinberg love it!!
Show threadAnna TennentDec 29, 2022
@LiorSteinberg absolutely love this, spent several years as a landscape architect / urban designer working with a local authority highways departments to develop home zones and pedestrian priority roads.
Show threadDavidKGrillsDec 29, 2022
@LiorSteinberg I love the design and imagination.
Show threadChristine KrauseDec 30, 2022
@LiorSteinberg they just re-did the street I live on, putting the road “on a diet”, adding crosswalks, a bike lane, etc. (I live between 2 freeway exits). A few weeks’ work and the difference is incredible. I suddenly feel such a profound, immense relief taking my walks. People were very inconsiderate drivers, almost as if they WANTED to hit a pedestrian. And now, every damn day, I think to myself: THANK GOD they’ve done this. I can venture outside safely.
Show threadsvegressDec 30, 2022
@LiorSteinberg Let us not forget that most city streets, even at the start of the 20th,were designed for horse traffic and allowed for children to play. The idea that speedy metal boxes should be given right of way was never in the plan.
Show threadChris ColemanDec 30, 2022
@LiorSteinberg After 80+ years, my neighborhood is finally getting completed sidewalks along the biggest road that cuts through it. I recently made the case at a public meeting for why the planned reduction of the curb radius is still insufficient. This plan is from September 2021, and the public meeting was last December. I hope to see updated plans sometime this century.
Show threadDanSDec 30, 2022
@LiorSteinberg In my city we’ve been experimenting with a version of this called “artful intersections”, where the change in car traffic path is delineated by art painted directly on the street. It’s a more low-budget version than building out new curbs and sidewalks (which has also been done here in other spots), and the art seems to be wearing fast; however, between the artful intersection and a new stop sign it is having an effect.
Show threadEd MechemDec 30, 2022
@LiorSteinberg Reminds me of Franklin & Broadway, in #oakland #trafficcalming
Show threadInsertUserDec 30, 2022
@LiorSteinberg I think what will happen is all the trucks and will end up mounting the curbs to get around the corners. And the plants will end up as mud.
Show threadWoozle HypertwinDec 30, 2022
@LiorSteinberg Even as a driver, I actually like the constricted version better because it reduces overall chaos and hence the number of mistakes you can make.
Show threadDoug BostromDec 31, 2022

@LiorSteinberg

Forcing pedestrians to cross at corners is a stupid multiplication of "pilot work load" for everybody whether on wheels or feet.

Ample -signaled- pedestrian crossings mid-block, away from the complication of intersections would produce a positive statistical benefit.

Red light for automobiles. Simplify, reduce the processing load.

Against "improving the flow of traffic," if by "traffic" we mean people sitting on their asses.

In reality, a postive engineering trade.

Show threadkungtotteDec 31, 2022
@Doug_Bostrom @LiorSteinberg if you put crosswalks mid-block you're then forcing pedestrians to walk twice as far to get anywhere, I don't think that's a good solution to the problem.
Show threadDoug BostromDec 31, 2022

@kungtotte @LiorSteinberg

The arithmetic on that inverts!

Vehicles may cross wherever they want, pretty much. People? 50% of the time adding steps.

[It's true that folks on multi-block headings need corners. I'm certainly not suggesting those be removed from the menu. Even so, an option for mid-block will improve stats, let alone being a bit more fair. Big picture, think about how the term "jaywalking" came to be. That was a removal of rights.]

Show threadkungtotteDec 31, 2022

@Doug_Bostrom @LiorSteinberg how do you figure it adds steps 50% of the time? If I'm walking down first avenue and want to head in the same direction the whole time I would constantly be going into the middle of blocks then around half a block, etc.

Unless you propose punching a path through the center of every block to create a walkway, which is something we could consider of course but a significantly larger undertaking.

Show threadDoug BostromDec 31, 2022

@kungtotte @LiorSteinberg

As I mentioned in my edit, yes.

The thing that would be nice to partially address is the insane choice to force pedestrians to cross at the most dangerous places: intersections, where attention is heavily sliced.

And if I'm mid-block and want to cross to another location mid-block across a roadway, I'm -made- to go to that danger. That's stacking crazy.

Show threaddeilann v -0.2.1.  Jan 1, 2023
@LiorSteinberg in these redesigns i'd really like to see a gradiated texture on half the pedestrian path that "peaks" at the center of the crossing. this would let me know how much crossing I have left to go. only half because those types of textures can be really frustrating to wheelchair users and i don't need the whole thing covered.
Show threaddeilann v -0.2.1.  Jan 1, 2023
@LiorSteinberg also i really like your image description, as i was able to get an idea of the design's changes along with the toot text to know what type of designs you were talking about!
Show threaddeilann v -0.2.1.  Jan 1, 2023
@LiorSteinberg also for people with no soul i'd like to point out that making crossings safer for pedestrians protects drivers too. hitting pedestrians is still an accident and you as the driver who is so concerned with the impact this will have on your ability to zoom a bit faster can still get hurt
Show threadsitnuokJan 1, 2023

@LiorSteinberg

I agree it looks nice.. but those changes most got rid of parking.

Show threadJauntyWunderKindJan 1, 2023

@LiorSteinberg in DC we've left the curb design intact but placed a lot of cheap plastic bollards around the intersection, creating some very large buffer zones & radically reducing some nasty corner cutting tendencies drivers had. huge win for safety. pretty cheap.

does require some ongoing maintenance as the plastic poles sometimes do get torn up. for aesthetic, a lot of intersections have some colorful steet painting.

Show threadニルス・スキニールJan 6, 2023

@LiorSteinberg

To say nothing of parking structures and lots which crowded out parks and sandlots, as well as housing.
Nice Bloomberg article

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-12-10/a-brief-history-of-the-great-american-parking-garage?utm_source=pocket-newtab-android

Show threadSergiJan 9, 2023
@LiorSteinberg that's pretty common in Barcelona (Spain).