this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2024
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Fuck Cars

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A place to discuss problems of car centric infrastructure or how it hurts us all. Let's explore the bad world of Cars!

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They had a similar issue in Detroit with reckless drivers and racing. The neighborhoods literally poured their own speed bumps and it worked! The city didn't go and remove them all, they instead went and replaced the home version with a real one. This is how Oakland should respond but as a former Ca resident the leaders of Oakland always seemed to fuck over their city

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Speed bumps are the worst solution. You designed your road wrong, fix the damn design instead.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The problem is the roads are already there. Like sure we could redevelop the entire area over decades but we could also add some speed bumps like next week while we get around to the hard work.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

The Netherlands did it over the course of a few decades, probably less than 20 years. You'd be surprised how fast things go since bicycle infrastructure is so dirt cheap in comparison to car infrastructure.

The next point is that what you're saying is what you've been doing for decades, but nobody goes and actually fixes the issues at hand. I think it's a cultural difference there too; in the Netherlands they constantly upgrade and change their infrastructure to make it all better whereas in the US, well, once a road is there it'll better stay there for the next 50 years or so or maybe we'll patch a little.

They continously monitor all roads as well. If an intersection has more accidents than normal, it gets scrapped, redesigned and rebuilt safer. Usually it gets upgraded to much safer roundabout. Speeds get lowered. In Canada or the US you'll be lucky if a stop sign is placed, wow!

In my town in the Netherlands they lowered speeds throughout the city to from 50 to 30 kph, about 20mph. With most interactions now being roundabouts though, I can move faster there by car than I can here at home in Vancouver where speeds vary between 50 and 80 and mostly stopping at stop signs and traffic lights. Hell, anything under 5 miles, 8 kilometers, I can do faster by bike in the Netherlands than by car here in Canada. The Netherlands does what works.

If you keep placing speed bumps, you'll never get anywhere.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Ok, the road is too straight and wide: difficult to for pedestrians and an invitation to speeding.

It’s interesting there is at least some parking on the side plus a center turn lane. So ….

  1. bump outs at each intersection to narrow the road and setting aside a parking lane. Traffic will slow because the bottleneck and pedestrians will be more visible and have a shorter crossing.
  2. The idiots called the center turn lane a median so make it so, partway. Instead of one continuous wide open turn lane, a raised median with cutouts for turn lanes. Now no one can drive there so you’re cutting dangerous driving, but you still have turn lanes. You constricted the road more so cars go slower. At this point you only have one driving lane in each direction.

Seems easy enough to make a noticeable difference with less effort. However, if you wanted to redevelop, there’s room to go for protected bike lanes and roundabouts (actual roundabouts with signs and painted lines, not just obstacles in the street.

And yes, speed bumps are the worst choice.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (2 children)

How come? I've seen impatient driver zip pass any traffic calming attempt while have to give in to speed bump. It's annoying but it works

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It's cheaper over very few years to narrow the road. Perhaps by adding protected cycleways, a raised median

And it works better. People drive slower when roads are narrower

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

That because none of it is designed right.

In my home town back in ther Netherlands they reduced maxspeed almost everywhere from 50 to 30 and the roads are designed for it. Good luck trying to drive faster than 30, you won't like it. You also don't need it as now almost all intersections are roundabouts, making traffic flow continously and easy and the end result is that for any trips under 5-10 kms (say, 4-8 miles) its faster there than in a city here in Canada. Hell, same distances on bike there are after than here in Canada by car.

Seriously, take a hint from the Netherlands, its frigging awesome

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Detroit doesn't have the funds or capable police to stop these things. The bumps stopped the neighborhood racing and population in these areas praise them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Make Smaller roads.

Develop bicycle infrastructure.

Look at how the Netherlands does it and copy that, seriously