Pedestrians, wheelchairs and bicycles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the former mayor of a midsized Indiana town, who couldn’t even keep the potholes manageable, is onboard with turning the federal interstate highway system into a pedestrian mall.


This. Is. Awesome.

That's not what he said at all.

He said that roadways should be designed with all users in mind. He might be talking about safer crossing for pedestrians including wheelchair users, or bike lanes, or improved access for public transportation, or opening up sections of roads for pedestrian and bicycle use the way part of Rock Creek Parkway is used.

He didn't say "interstate highway". He didn't say we would all be using them in the same way.

I'm a pedestrian (NOT a militant pedestrian/ I know I will "lose" against a car and I also think militant cyclists are horrible). I do believe in adequate crossings, sidewalks (like in suburbs), speed bumps, paths etc. I also think we need great public transportation and ride share. Seeing bars by the side of desolate highways has never made sense to me--how do people get home without DUIs? Put a bus stop in front.
Life is compromise and there are many ways of getting around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the former mayor of a midsized Indiana town, who couldn’t even keep the potholes manageable, is onboard with turning the federal interstate highway system into a pedestrian mall.


This. Is. Awesome.

That's not what he said at all.

He said that roadways should be designed with all users in mind. He might be talking about safer crossing for pedestrians including wheelchair users, or bike lanes, or improved access for public transportation, or opening up sections of roads for pedestrian and bicycle use the way part of Rock Creek Parkway is used.

He didn't say "interstate highway". He didn't say we would all be using them in the same way.

He needs to stay in his lane (pun intended)

The Sec of Trans job is to focus on interstate and strategic transportation nodes. Highways. Railroads. Aviation. Ports and waterways. Pipelines.

Not making sure every ‘burg in the country has bike lanes.

The job of the Secretary of Tranportation is to focus on transportation. Which includes

-walking
-rolling (e.g., in wheelchairs)
-bicycling

Heard of this thing called the Constitution? It reserved powers not expressly granted to the central government to the states. Some courts have held that interstate commerce allows the Feds to dominate interstate transport, otherwise all they can do is bribe localities to implement their vision.

[Anonymous]

Is he a bit provincial? I feel like he is. In over his head, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the former mayor of a midsized Indiana town, who couldn’t even keep the potholes manageable, is onboard with turning the federal interstate highway system into a pedestrian mall.


This. Is. Awesome.

That's not what he said at all.

He said that roadways should be designed with all users in mind. He might be talking about safer crossing for pedestrians including wheelchair users, or bike lanes, or improved access for public transportation, or opening up sections of roads for pedestrian and bicycle use the way part of Rock Creek Parkway is used.

He didn't say "interstate highway". He didn't say we would all be using them in the same way.

He needs to stay in his lane (pun intended)

The Sec of Trans job is to focus on interstate and strategic transportation nodes. Highways. Railroads. Aviation. Ports and waterways. Pipelines.

Not making sure every ‘burg in the country has bike lanes.

The job of the Secretary of Tranportation is to focus on transportation. Which includes

-walking
-rolling (e.g., in wheelchairs)
-bicycling

Heard of this thing called the Constitution? It reserved powers not expressly granted to the central government to the states. Some courts have held that interstate commerce allows the Feds to dominate interstate transport, otherwise all they can do is bribe localities to implement their vision.

The Federal Highway Administration has put out a proposed rule with a draft update to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Feel free to submit a comment to tell them the MUTCD is unconstitutional.

https://nacto.org/nacto-recommendations-for-updates-to-fhwa-design-guidance/

[Anonymous]

The vast majority of people in DC drives cars. A very small number of people in DC ride bikes and use other types of transportation. That's the proportion we should use in divvying up the roads. No one is more important than anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of people in DC drives cars. A very small number of people in DC ride bikes and use other types of transportation. That's the proportion we should use in divvying up the roads. No one is more important than anyone else.

Plenty of people in DC walk, and take public transportation, and do things besides driving for every trip.

Not to mention, he isn’t just for DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of people in DC drives cars. A very small number of people in DC ride bikes and use other types of transportation. That's the proportion we should use in divvying up the roads. No one is more important than anyone else.

Plenty of people in DC walk, and take public transportation, and do things besides driving for every trip.

Not to mention, he isn’t just for DC.

There's 350,000 cars registered in DC. That's at least 500,000 who rely on a car. How many people ride bikes in DC? Probably fewer than 1,000 people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of people in DC drives cars. A very small number of people in DC ride bikes and use other types of transportation. That's the proportion we should use in divvying up the roads. No one is more important than anyone else.

Plenty of people in DC walk, and take public transportation, and do things besides driving for every trip.

Not to mention, he isn’t just for DC.

There's 350,000 cars registered in DC. That's at least 500,000 who rely on a car. How many people ride bikes in DC? Probably fewer than 1,000 people.

Car owners can also be bike riders and pedestrians. Not everyone with a car drives everywhere. There are at least three people in my office who own a car but commute by bike, plus several who own cars but take public transportation, and one who owns a car but walks to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of people in DC drives cars. A very small number of people in DC ride bikes and use other types of transportation. That's the proportion we should use in divvying up the roads. No one is more important than anyone else.

Plenty of people in DC walk, and take public transportation, and do things besides driving for every trip.

Not to mention, he isn’t just for DC.

There's 350,000 cars registered in DC. That's at least 500,000 who rely on a car. How many people ride bikes in DC? Probably fewer than 1,000 people.

"Having a car" and "relying on a car" are not synonyms.

There is no reason a car-owner can't also use their feet, a bicycle, a bus, or the subway for their transportation, and plenty do.

As for bikes, there were 100,071 trips just on Capital Bikeshare bikes, just in January 2021.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of people in DC drives cars. A very small number of people in DC ride bikes and use other types of transportation. That's the proportion we should use in divvying up the roads. No one is more important than anyone else.

Plenty of people in DC walk, and take public transportation, and do things besides driving for every trip.

Not to mention, he isn’t just for DC.

There's 350,000 cars registered in DC. That's at least 500,000 who rely on a car. How many people ride bikes in DC? Probably fewer than 1,000 people.

"Having a car" and "relying on a car" are not synonyms.

There is no reason a car-owner can't also use their feet, a bicycle, a bus, or the subway for their transportation, and plenty do.

As for bikes, there were 100,071 trips just on Capital Bikeshare bikes, just in January 2021.

We're switching to trips now? That's apples and oranges. I drive my car at least twice a day. Assuming I'm a typical car owner, those 350,000 cars would translate to 22 MILLION trips in January. And there's surely a lot more than 350,000 cars in DC. Many aren't registered because the city charges an arm and a leg to register your car.

[Anonymous]

So, DC drivers are scofflaws. Well, we knew that. All the more reason for the USDOT to take all road users into account, not just people in motor vehicles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, DC drivers are scofflaws. Well, we knew that. All the more reason for the USDOT to take all road users into account, not just people in motor vehicles.

Although people in cars are the vast majority of road users. Bicyclists are a rounding error.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, DC drivers are scofflaws. Well, we knew that. All the more reason for the USDOT to take all road users into account, not just people in motor vehicles.

Although people in cars are the vast majority of road users. Bicyclists are a rounding error.

So what?

Seriously, dude, I think you'd be happier out in rural Montana, where there aren't any pesky non-motorists to get in your way, and you can drive as fast as you want, at least during the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of people in DC drives cars. A very small number of people in DC ride bikes and use other types of transportation. That's the proportion we should use in divvying up the roads. No one is more important than anyone else.

Plenty of people in DC walk, and take public transportation, and do things besides driving for every trip.

Not to mention, he isn’t just for DC.

There's 350,000 cars registered in DC. That's at least 500,000 who rely on a car. How many people ride bikes in DC? Probably fewer than 1,000 people.

"Having a car" and "relying on a car" are not synonyms.

There is no reason a car-owner can't also use their feet, a bicycle, a bus, or the subway for their transportation, and plenty do.

As for bikes, there were 100,071 trips just on Capital Bikeshare bikes, just in January 2021.

We're switching to trips now? That's apples and oranges. I drive my car at least twice a day. Assuming I'm a typical car owner, those 350,000 cars would translate to 22 MILLION trips in January. And there's surely a lot more than 350,000 cars in DC. Many aren't registered because the city charges an arm and a leg to register your car.

Are you saying that less than 1000 people made 100,071 trips plus whatever trips were made by people who owned or borrowed bikes? So, the average person who ever rides a bike made 4 trips a day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Are you saying that less than 1000 people made 100,071 trips plus whatever trips were made by people who owned or borrowed bikes? So, the average person who ever rides a bike made 4 trips a day?

Yeah, let's do the math.

100,071 trips in 31 days (including January 6, when probably most people were not out on the streets in any mode of transportation, aside from the insurrectionists and those responding to the insurrection).

3,228 trips per day.

Supposedly, fewer than 1,000 bicyclists, so let's say 995 bicyclists.

So each of those bicyclists made 3.2 Capital Bikeshare bike trips every day in January, PLUS all of the bike trips they made on their own bikes.

Bicyclists in DC sure do keep busy, I guess?

Either that, or it's the DCUM poster for whom bicyclists are ALWAYS invisible.