Too crowded. DMV governors and mayors: please dedicate streets to walkers and bikers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So we are now going to take cars off the roads built for cars (and shared with peds and bikers) but the cars can't drive on the sidewalk or trails. Am I getting this right? How many people driving in a car are spreading a virus as opposed to how many people walking, biking and jogging in close proximity?? What about people who work and don't want to use public transportation right now for obvious reasons? This is so silly. Beach Dr in CC is closed all weekend and I have no problem with this. Yesterday (Thursday) I had to swerve around two women and a dog literally walking in the street and was almost hit by an oncoming car. Let's apply a little common sense here. Sharing the road doesn't mean closing the road.

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent who walks with my 2 elementary age kids daily, we are regularly forced into the road and/or bike lane due to a solo female millennial (all different people BTW) pedestrian who is absolutely clueless about how wide 6 feet is. And this is on a part of a sidewalk that has a wide grassy area as well.

It's not a millennial, it's a Gen z. Millennial are pushing 40.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seattle’s healthy streets plan to close designated streets to most vehicles during the current crisis has been so successful that the progressive city plans to designate 20 miles of streets permanently. People are encouraged to skate, walk, jog, bike and roll down the closed streets. Only vehicular traffic from delivery drivers, first responders, sanitation crews and residents are allowed access.

Washington, DC needs to do something like this!

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seattle-streets-closed-stay-healthy-trnd/index.html

How do they limit access?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seattle’s healthy streets plan to close designated streets to most vehicles during the current crisis has been so successful that the progressive city plans to designate 20 miles of streets permanently. People are encouraged to skate, walk, jog, bike and roll down the closed streets. Only vehicular traffic from delivery drivers, first responders, sanitation crews and residents are allowed access.

Washington, DC needs to do something like this!

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seattle-streets-closed-stay-healthy-trnd/index.html

How do they limit access?

Also ... one problem with DC is that if you limit access to some streets, the adjacent streets end up getting a higher traffic flow. This is in part related to Waze, which has started directing drivers down surface streets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seattle’s healthy streets plan to close designated streets to most vehicles during the current crisis has been so successful that the progressive city plans to designate 20 miles of streets permanently. People are encouraged to skate, walk, jog, bike and roll down the closed streets. Only vehicular traffic from delivery drivers, first responders, sanitation crews and residents are allowed access.

Washington, DC needs to do something like this!

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seattle-streets-closed-stay-healthy-trnd/index.html

How do they limit access?

Currently, with temporary barriers like barricades and traffic cones. Here's the Seattle DOT announcement. I wish Bowser and DDOT would do this.

https://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2020/05/07/2020-bike-investments-to-accelerate-including-20-miles-of-stay-healthy-streets-to-become-permanent-in-seattle/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seattle’s healthy streets plan to close designated streets to most vehicles during the current crisis has been so successful that the progressive city plans to designate 20 miles of streets permanently. People are encouraged to skate, walk, jog, bike and roll down the closed streets. Only vehicular traffic from delivery drivers, first responders, sanitation crews and residents are allowed access.

Washington, DC needs to do something like this!

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seattle-streets-closed-stay-healthy-trnd/index.html

How do they limit access?

Also ... one problem with DC is that if you limit access to some streets, the adjacent streets end up getting a higher traffic flow. This is in part related to Waze, which has started directing drivers down surface streets.

They're also going to do things for adjacent streets, so that drivers don't decide to zoom down those streets instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seattle’s healthy streets plan to close designated streets to most vehicles during the current crisis has been so successful that the progressive city plans to designate 20 miles of streets permanently. People are encouraged to skate, walk, jog, bike and roll down the closed streets. Only vehicular traffic from delivery drivers, first responders, sanitation crews and residents are allowed access.

Washington, DC needs to do something like this!

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seattle-streets-closed-stay-healthy-trnd/index.html

How do they limit access?

Also ... one problem with DC is that if you limit access to some streets, the adjacent streets end up getting a higher traffic flow. This is in part related to Waze, which has started directing drivers down surface streets.

Bowser doesn’t like speed humps, I’ve heard. But DC side streets need lots of them, as well as narrowed crosswalks, especially at corners and intersections with more major roadways.

[Anonymous]

Dc should also do something similar to Montreal where they’ve made most roads one way. These residential roads in denser neighborhoods are a constant game of chicken with Maryland drivers who don’t actually have any spatial relations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dc should also do something similar to Montreal where they’ve made most roads one way. These residential roads in denser neighborhoods are a constant game of chicken with Maryland drivers who don’t actually have any spatial relations.

No, DC shouldn't. That only leads to more driving and more speeding. The goal should be less driving on residential roads in denser neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dc should also do something similar to Montreal where they’ve made most roads one way. These residential roads in denser neighborhoods are a constant game of chicken with Maryland drivers who don’t actually have any spatial relations.

Again, I'm driving on the road at the appropriate speed limit looking in front of me, behind me and on the side of me because I understand I am driving a huge vehicle. I look both ways before backing out and a pedestrian looking straight in front of themselves walks directly into my path while I am in the process of backing out. I'm the one that doesn't have spatial relations? A biker suddenly tries to weave past three lanes of Rockville PK and I achieve not hitting them and I'm the menace? Driving today is like playing frogger expect I don't want to hurt anybody.

[Anonymous]

PS I am lucky to be able to continue to work but in order to do so I cannot take public transportation or bike. My job is essential. I promise not to drive on the sidewalk. What about me??????????????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PS I am lucky to be able to continue to work but in order to do so I cannot take public transportation or bike. My job is essential. I promise not to drive on the sidewalk. What about me??????????????

Why can't you?

And why won't you be able to drive to work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dc should also do something similar to Montreal where they’ve made most roads one way. These residential roads in denser neighborhoods are a constant game of chicken with Maryland drivers who don’t actually have any spatial relations.

Again, I'm driving on the road at the appropriate speed limit looking in front of me, behind me and on the side of me because I understand I am driving a huge vehicle. I look both ways before backing out and a pedestrian looking straight in front of themselves walks directly into my path while I am in the process of backing out. I'm the one that doesn't have spatial relations? A biker suddenly tries to weave past three lanes of Rockville PK and I achieve not hitting them and I'm the menace? Driving today is like playing frogger expect I don't want to hurt anybody.

Yes, you're the menace, because you're the one driving the huge vehicle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dc should also do something similar to Montreal where they’ve made most roads one way. These residential roads in denser neighborhoods are a constant game of chicken with Maryland drivers who don’t actually have any spatial relations.

No, DC shouldn't. That only leads to more driving and more speeding. The goal should be less driving on residential roads in denser neighborhoods.

Is this true? Do one way streets lead to more traffic at higher speeds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS I am lucky to be able to continue to work but in order to do so I cannot take public transportation or bike. My job is essential. I promise not to drive on the sidewalk. What about me??????????????

Why can't you?

And why won't you be able to drive to work?

^^^PP here. The last time I had this dialogue with someone, it turned out that they live a mile from a train station there are bike paths to, they work on top of a Metro station, and their actual objections were

1. other people who drive to work get in their way when they drive to work
2. they might have to start parking (for free) a block from work instead of right at work
3. public transportation is icky