North American cities + those around the world needs to shift to car-free.

[Deleted member 25709]

I went to Open Streets TO for the first time here in Toronto and was surprised why this wasn't the norm. A large section of the city's busiest roads in downtown, Yonge St. and Bloor St. was closed only for the car for 4 hours. So many people were out enjoying their time by walking, jogging, biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, using their electric wheelchair, you name it. There were even old people with canes walking long distances. Activities were also set up along the street such as yoga, games, and musical performances to entertain.

With cities around the world becoming more urbanized and the threat of climate change upon us, it makes sense to eliminate (Edit 5: or reduced significantly) the private car at the minimum in the downtown cores of cities. Public transportation of course should still run and a few hours of the day can be dedicated to transportation for logistics, services, etc. By eliminating the car, people will live a more healthy and less environmentally damaging way of life while alleviating car congestion as cities continue to grow in population for decades to come. There will also be more foot traffic for businesses and allows likelihood for spontaneous visits and exploration for the things that cities have to offer. The positive experience I had in those 4 hours was unlike anything I've ever had in the more than 20 years I've lived in this city.

Re: transportation for logistics, services, etc
Edit: or have them deliver during the night? cutting hours isn't the only way.
Edit 2: or early mornings or have some space on the road dedicated for them so it won't affect their existing schedule. One way streets for them?
Edit 3: maybe have open streets not running the entire week? but have them just occur frequently? Several cities as mentioned by others in the thread so far already have them running every Sunday or a couple times during the summer.
Edit 4:

In Ghent deliveries to shops and businesses can be made between certain hours in the car-free zones. Delivery companies can also apply for a temporary allowance to drive into the pedestrian area. Because motorcycles are forbidden, we saw a surge in services like Deliveroo and Uber Eats for food deliverees, while pizza joints and other restaurants with their own delivery service started to use electric bikes more and more.
We also have a start-up company called bubble post, that delivers packages like DHL or UPS does, but uses cargo bikes in cities (in between cities they use electrical vehicles).

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[bye]

It will probably be easier to just stop eating meat which has a much higher carbon footprint than your car does, you won't be able to take away America's cars and our public transportation even in the big cities won't be getting major modern upgrades anytime soon.

But yeah I agree if possible its cool that cities can block off roads for pedestrian use

 

[Nothing Loud]

It's just not feasible for cities that weren't designed for it in mind, and you will never be able to pay the money to destroy and rebuild an American city that wasn't built with that in mind (living in DFW, I wish this metroplex was walkable, but honestly I can be 20 miles away and still be in the Dalllas area).

 

[Midnight Jon]

and you will never be able to pay the money to destroy and rebuild an American city that wasn't built with that in mind

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certainly not with that attitude

(in any event the OP literally isn't asking for anything except banning cars in downtowns)

 

[Deleted member 25709]

certainly not with that attitude

(in any event the OP literally isn't asking for anything except banning cars in downtowns)

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Yup, I'm aware that the car has a place in cities but not everywhere you go.

 

[Titik]

It's just not feasible for cities that weren't designed for it in mind, and you will never be able to pay the money to destroy and rebuild an American city that wasn't built with that in mind (living in DFW, I wish this metroplex was walkable, but honestly I can be 20 miles away and still be in the Dalllas area).

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It's not feasible only because there is no political will to do so. Any street can be designed to be people friendly first. Reduce lane sizes, implement bike lanes, reducing speed limits are just some of the simpler ways you can do it and you only need stripes of paint. You do not have to tear down the every single building as it will nationally happen gradually.

 

[Thebeast!]

This would work in a place like la. Where i live its not going to work

 

[Taki]

It's nice to see Los Angeles gradually reintroducing its light rail system over time.

 

[copelandmaster]

How's that gonna work if you live in the suburbs and have to drive 30 minutes to an hour through traffic to work every day?
How's that gonna work if you live in the country/on a lake, and every trip to the local Costco involves 1.5 hours of driving? Other small, spread out towns in general? How to field travel between towns, with only one or two major roads?
How's that gonna work in the greater DFW area outside of the city parts of Dallas or Fort Worth? Spoiler: it won't, shit's fucked.

yeah how's banning cars in highly urbanized CBDs gonna impact trips that don't involve highly urbanized CBDs, aside from absolutely fucking not at all

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How do you do car travel from one urbanized city to another when they are banned in those places (DFW)? Where do you put them, where can you drive them around in the city to park when they are banned? When traveling from the city to the country, city to the suberbs, and vice versa? When traveling with a substantial amount of equipment for weekend/yearly trips trips or gatherings? Shit's not a bubble, people commute.

 

[Midnight Jon]

Yup, I'm aware that the car has a place in cities but not everywhere you go.

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honestly I wanna see what'd happen if Columbus banned cars inside the innerbelt, downtown and Franklinton have both gotten considerably more pedestrian-friendly already

How's that gonna work if you live in the country/on a lake, and every trip to the local Costco involves 1.5 hours of driving? Other small, spread out towns in general?

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yeah how's banning cars in highly urbanized CBDs gonna impact trips that don't involve highly urbanized CBDs, aside from absolutely fucking not at all

 

[Dyle]

It's not likely any time soon unfortunately. We are actually reinvesting ourselves in cars through services like Uber and no one in the US at least is seriously investing in major mass transit improvements, what little money is spent on transit infrastructure these days goes pretty much solely into maintenance. It certainly would be nice though and is the biggest thing we need to relearn from European cities. We just have so much already invested in car infrastructure that shifting away from it is impossible without a unified push through local, state, and federal government which isn't happening any time soon

 

[Marin-Lune]

It's just not feasible for cities that weren't designed for it in mind, and you will never be able to pay the money to destroy and rebuild an American city that wasn't built with that in mind

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Plenty of cities around the globe are facing bigger challenges than most flat, grid-planned US cities: peninsulas, mountains, population etc. And yet they're doing just fine. It's called public transportation.

 

[Titik]

How's that gonna work if you live in the suburbs and have to drive 30 minutes to an hour through traffic to work every day?
How's that gonna work if you live in the country/on a lake, and every trip to the local Costco involves 1.5 hours of driving?
How's that gonna work in major DFW area outside of the city parts of Dallas or Fort Worth? Spoiler: it won't, shit's fucked.

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Commuter lines exist. Truth is, it will take time and energy to fully implement but there are things that can be done now like in Central DFW for example.

 

[Baked Pigeon]

Phoenix has a decent bus system and the light rail is expanding slowly, but its just not realistic for everyone to be able to use these services to get to where they need to go. Then you factor in the extreme heat here in the summer time, and no one wants to be outside waiting at bus stops or light rail stations.

 

[jviggy43]

Its mandatory to own a car here in Los Angeles. More so than any other city I've lived in at least.

 

[Titik]

It's not likely any time soon unfortunately. We are actually reinvesting ourselves in cars through services like Uber and no one in the US at least is seriously investing in major mass transit improvements, what little money is spent on transit infrastructure these days goes pretty much solely into maintenance. It certainly would be nice though and is the biggest thing we need to relearn from European cities. We just have so much already invested in car infrastructure that shifting away from it is impossible without a unified push through local, state, and federal government which isn't happening any time soon

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I think it can be done. Seattle recently tried it and was successful in shifting transportation modes for its citizens. Again, political will is needed more than anything else.

 

[Deleted member 23850]

certainly not with that attitude

(in any event the OP literally isn't asking for anything except banning cars in downtowns)

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Nothing Loud has a great point. Places like Houston and DFW already have their infrastructure in place. The infrastructure, as flawed as it is, is used daily by people who rely on it for housing, travel, and to get the resources they need. You can't just get rid of it easily without displacing thousands.

 

[Titik]

Phoenix has a decent bus system and the light rail is expanding slowly, but its just not realistic for everyone to be able to use these services to get to where they need to go. Then you factor in the extreme heat here in the summer time, and no one wants to be outside waiting at bus stops or light rail stations.

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You don't have to target everyone. Not initially. It's not feasible. But you can target those that make sense like those that live in older neighborhoods or in denser parts of the city.

 

[Midnight Jon]

Nothing Loud has a great point. Places like Houston and DFW already have their infrastructure in place. The infrastructure, as flawed as it is, is used daily by people who rely on it for housing, travel, and to get the resources they need. You can't just get rid of it easily without displacing thousands.

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Nothing Loud has a great point wrt displacement if you literally go out of your way to ignore the fact that this thread does not call for anything more ambitious than banning cars from central business districts, which are already typically the most transit-friendly and dense neighborhoods in any given city

it's still a herculean effort because this country loves pretending you can pay for things (like public transit improvements) without taxes, but it is not a herculean effort that literally blows up half the sprawl in the country

 

[Nothing Loud]

Plenty of cities around the globe are facing bigger challenges than most flat, grid-planned US cities: peninsulas, mountains, population etc. And yet they're doing just fine. It's called public transportation.

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It's called "American cities hate taxes and have terrible public transportation and don't want to invest in it so good luck convincing people to give up their cars to walk around in a giant sprawled concrete jungle complete with scary neighborhoods without reliable trains or buses"

I live in downtown Dallas and our public transit is bad. That's typical of most Texas cities, especially Houston, the country's 4th largest city. If they removed cars, it would take me 20-60 min just to get around downtown Dallas, let alone get to work 25 miles away in the suburbs.

 

[Marin-Lune]

It's called "American cities hate taxes and have terrible public transportation and don't want to invest in it so good luck convincing people to give up their cars to walk around in a giant sprawled concrete jungle complete with scary neighborhoods without reliable trains or buses"

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So then it's back to what Midnight Jon was pointing out first: attitude and sheer laziness.

 

[Deleted member 23850]

Nothing Loud has a great point wrt displacement if you literally go out of your way to ignore the fact that this thread does not call for anything more ambitious than banning cars from central business districts

it's still a herculean effort because this country loves pretending you can pay for things (like public transit improvements) without taxes, but it is not a herculean effort that literally blows up half the sprawl in the country

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Oh. Oops.

 

[KHarvey16]

Even with decent city public transit anyone who commutes from outside the immediate area would have to park at a station somewhere to complete their trip. That will never get support.

 

[Deleted member 25709]

It's just not feasible for cities that weren't designed for it in mind, and you will never be able to pay the money to destroy and rebuild an American city that wasn't built with that in mind (living in DFW, I wish this metroplex was walkable, but honestly I can be 20 miles away and still be in the Dalllas area).

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Nothing Loud has a great point. Places like Houston and DFW already have their infrastructure in place. The infrastructure, as flawed as it is, is used daily by people who rely on it for housing, travel, and to get the resources they need. You can't just get rid of it easily without displacing thousands.

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Nowhere have I mentioned mass demolition. I know that it doesn't do any good based on how cities developed in the past. The first time Regent Park was revitalized, the razing of existing homes only made things worse.

 

[Nothing Loud]

So then it's back to what Midnight Jon was pointing out first: attitude and sheer laziness.

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Well that and an extreme aversion to taxes. Nobody wants to give up cars until the public infrastructure is there first and nobody wants to pay for that.

So when OP is surprised it's not like his experience everywhere, the above is why it's not.

I am going to move somewhere like Europe with walkable cities. I'm not going to delude myself into believing that America will fix this problem in my lifetime.

 

[Deleted member 11626]

This is something I'd embrace wholeheartedly. With investment in public transport we could do away with the need for personal vehicles in urban areas all over the country.

 

[Deleted member 23850]

Nowhere have I mentioned mass demolition. I know that it doesn't do any good based on how cities developed in the past. The first time Regent Park was revitalized, the razing of existing homes only made things worse.

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Yeah, I just realized I misread, sorry. I completely agree with you that downtown areas only gain something when they are more pedestrian friendly.

 

[Midnight Jon]

(I'd move to Europe if it wasn't for my laundry list of medical conditions probably making emigration cost-prohibitive, so it's all I'm gonna be able to do to try and shift the Overton window here)

 

[Woody]

Bogota does this every Sunday in parts of the city, it's pretty cool. I think they've been doing it for years.

 

[TaterTots]

I know you're talking about very large cities with a vast downtown area, but that leaves the rest of us to get blamed for the shit environment. At my last job I was looking into public transportation and the nearest bus stop is nearly 20 miles from me. Then I'd have to ride a handful of buses and walk several miles to get to my last job. Then do it all over again when I got off work. That's like 7 hours of travel or something lol. I might as well drive. I'd do less damage. However, I work from home now and very rarely drive at all. Seriously like 7 miles a week.

Some things aren't going to happen in our lifetime. Same with the dream of everyone not eating meat.

 

[Ether_Snake]

People and businesses who whine against this either complain that it's bad for businesses on the right or that it leads to « gentrification », but it has been demonstrated time and again that it's actually great for business and quality of life. It will keep heading in that direction either way as more and more cities lead the way.

 

[Deleted member 25709]

Bogota does this every Sunday in parts of the city, it's pretty cool. I think they've been doing it for years.

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There's a small low rise neighborhood near the edge of downtown Toronto called Kensington Market that shuts down its streets a few Sundays a year as well. It was pretty awesome when I went last year. There's literally no point of having cars in this area when people squished like sardines on the side walk keeps stumbling onto the road because of how populated the area usually is.

 

[Swig]

I wouldn't be able to function without a vehicle where I live. The closest grocery store is a couple miles away. Everything else is farther.

 

[Titik]

They need to do this on Hollywood Blvd between La Brea and Highland in LA. They already close it off regularly for premieres anyway sometimes in a near weekly basis.

 

[Deleted member 25709]

People and businesses who whine against this either complain that it's bad for businesses on the right or that it leads to « gentrification », but it has been demonstrated time and again that it's actually great for business and quality of life. It will keep heading in that direction either way as more and more cities lead the way.

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The issue you're raising has been happening on King St. in Toronto when the city decided to prioritize people and transit by preventing cars from crossing the intersection by forcing them to make right turns every time. A few vocal opponents to the pilot including suburban politicians and residents who don't live there were spreading nonsense to everyone. What did the recent data show? That reducing car use in the area helped move more people.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...-shows-higher-ridership-shorter-commutes.html

 

[TheBeardedOne]

There's no way this could work. Some businesses rely on vehicles, people commute in and out of the city for work, etc. etc.

 

[Deleted member 25709]

There's no way this could work. Some businesses rely on vehicles, people commute in and out of the city for work, etc. etc.

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They can park their cars to the nearest public transportation station.

 

[Dyle]

I think it can be done. Seattle recently tried it and was successful in shifting transportation modes for its citizens. Again, political will is needed more than anything else.

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In a lot of places it means a lot more than just closing off a few streets though. Here in Madison State Street is the closest thing we have to a pedestrianised district, but because there is no effective mass transit options besides a very limited bus system, just about 1 out of every 4 blocks nearby has a parking garage on it, which makes it so you have to walk a ways past tons of buildings that are totally useless to pedestrians just to get to the pedestrian friendly areas, which makes them much less attractive. No doubt it's doable in some situations, but it often requires a more holistic approach that makes it very difficult for these plans to get much momentum

 

[KHarvey16]

They can park their cars to the nearest public transportation station.

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No one will sign on to that. You've just extended everyone's commute and now they have to buy a ticket and pay for parking at a commuter station that isn't even where they work.

 

[TheBeardedOne]

Exactly. And you're adding an extra cost: a public transportation pass.

Just because you live downtown and can walk to wherever you need to go, doesn't mean everyone else does or can.

They can park their cars to the nearest public transportation station.

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What if there's no public transportation stop near where they work?

What about delivery drivers, like Purolator, DHL, FedEx and UPS?

How about taxis?

 

[Deleted member 25709]

No one will sign on to that. You've just extended everyone's commute and now they have to buy a ticket and pay for parking at a commuter station that isn't even where they work.

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Except many people do this already.

 

[Deleted member 25709]

What if there's no public transportation stop near where they work?

What about delivery drivers, like Purolator, DHL, FedEx and UPS?

How about taxis?

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I explained in the op that a few hours into the day can be dedicated to this. Its just one idea.

Edit: or have them deliver during the night? cutting hours isn't the only way.
Edit 2: or early mornings or have some space on the road dedicated for them so it won't affect their existing schedule. One way streets for them?

 

[faceless]

People that live in the suburbs wouldn't want to travel on public transportation with the poor people

 

[KHarvey16]

Except many people do this already.

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I think you'll find that behavior accounts for a vast minority of commuters. All you're doing is displacing the same number of cars to areas that don't handle them now, and you're costing people more money to do it. It won't work.

 

[makingmusic476]

Is OP a NUMTOT?

#downwithcars
(#drivesacar)

 

[Deleted member 25709]

People that live in the suburbs wouldn't want to travel on public transportation with the poor people

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Not everyone using public transportation is poor. Public transportation back then in Toronto was available only to the wealthy where they took streetcars to get to downtown.

 

[TheBeardedOne]

I explained in the op that a few hours into the day can be dedicated to this. Its just one idea.

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But it often takes them a full workday to do all their deliveries and pick-ups.

 

[copelandmaster]

They can park their cars to the nearest public transportation station.

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Seems kind of pointless then. If an entire city had a ban on cars, that means quite a few stations at every access/exit point, some of which would be pretty big if they were located next to major roads/freeways. That's a lot of land to turn into a parking lot or garage. Would some be located in the city, where there's not much room, or would there be a further expansion outward?

This all sounds like a huge logistical problem, because not everyone that does things on the regular in the city actually lives there. Loads live in the suburbs, many others go from city to country side. If everyone had to do it, that causes a major congestion problem.

 

[args]

I'm visiting Europe right now and I'm stunned by how behind everything here seems compared to America.

 

[makingmusic476]

People that live in the suburbs wouldn't want to travel on public transportation with the poor people

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