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"Car-Free" Cities
Feb. 19th, 2023 10:28 amNo city can ever be truly personal car free.
There will always be people who need to use cars due to disability. Always.
There would have to be a vast fundamental shift in the way our society is run, absolutely vast, for that to be possible.
However, there's ways for cities to be more accessible than they are right now and I, a city dweller, am going to list some of them. Some of these can also work for suburbs and small towns.
Clear snow, leaves, mud, ice, and debris from sidewalks and bus stops
Sidewalks need to be kept clean. Can residents and places of business do the job? Eh... what happens to people who are disabled and can't do it? People who are out of town? What happens when the task is just too much? We got a foot and a half of snow all at once one year. Where do people put that much snow? An easy answer is municipal sidewalk clearing. "Isn't that expensive?" Baby, everything is expensive. This keeps a city running. Bus stops and train stations should also be kept clear of snow and other debris. I've been unable to board/exit a bus because the entire sidewalk/shoulder was just heaped with snow. People get let on/off in the middle of the street, which is dangerous. Get all that stuff clear.
Keep sidewalks and curb cuts in good repair
I barely remember it now but when I was a kid every corner had the same height curb as the rest of the street. You had to step down into the street to cross then step back up. If you used a wheelchair this was basically impossible to do. If you were on a bike, pushing a stroller, pulling a wagon, using a wheely cart for your groceries, etc. it was difficult. If you had bad knees or a bad back the stepping down/up could be painful. Curb cuts, where the curb slopes down to be even with the road surface, make it possible to use a wheelchair to get around while also making it easier for everyone else as well. The textured plates embedded in the curb cut are a tactile signal to people with visual limitations. Curb cuts in some areas aren't well maintained, though. They crack and crumble, becoming tripping hazards. Sidewalks in general, especially in low income areas, are frequently in disrepair with large cracks and gaps. When my kid was young enough to need a stroller there were certain places I just didn't go because pushing the stroller down the sidewalk was so difficult. I had that choice, and in some situations I could muscle the stroller around a dangerous curb cut. Someone in a wheelchair can't do that. Speaking of people in wheelchairs, I once had to push someone in a motorized scooter (at their request and with their guidance) over a bad bit of sidewalks. They were stuck, completely stuck, because the sidewalk was in such poor repair. I'd just had surgery and could have injured myself. People with gait issues, people who can't life their feet high, there's a lot of people who just plain need a smooth flat surface to travel on. This shouldn't be hard.
Keep restaurants from blocking sidewalks
Keep patios and signs from blocking sidewalks. Seriously. I shouldn't have to step into the street because a restaurant's outside eating area chokes the sidewalk. There's people who CAN'T step into the street. Ban restaurants from putting those folding signs in the middle of the sidewalk. Two people should be able to walk abreast down a sidewalk.
Keep storm drains clear of debris and properly graded
Storm drains get clogged with debris really quickly, even when residents work to keep them clean. This can and does cause flooding. The flooding can be inconvenient - nobody likes wet shoes - to impassable. I've had to wade through water that reached to mid-shin. It was significantly higher on my kid, who at the time was 5. Clogged storm drains can cause flooded streets that damage cars, and that flood basements. Sometimes it rains so heavily there's going to be flooding no matter how clean the drains are. Other times intersections flood and stay flooded for days. Sometimes a drain sits higher than the deep puddles/flooded area. What the heck.
Fully subsidize public transit
Make the trains free. Make the buses free. And by "free" I mean "subsidized by taxes." It is not financially possible to make public transit self-supported, self-funded. It's expensive. Roads, even toll roads, aren't self-funded either but we all pay taxes for them even if we don't drive. If someone can just board a train or a bus at the spur of the moment without having to think about how much money is on their card, if you remove that bit of friction, more people will take public transit which means less people on the road which means a safer road for cyclists and a faster trip for buses and also less pollution.
Expand bus and train routes
Stretch those bus and train routes further into the city and further out from the city. What parts of the city are under-served? What parts of the city are hard to get to? Where outside of the city do people who commute to the city live? How can you make it easy for them to get to the city? Expand the bus and train lines, and also provide ample parking at the terminals and the train stations located further out of the city. If Joe Suburb wants to come into Chicago he can either sit in traffic and then pay a bunch for parking or he can drive a much shorter distance to a train station, park, play bejwelled on his phone for a while, then got off a few blocks from his destination. If Claire Urbanis wants to visit her cousins in the suburbs she can walk to her station/bus stop, hop on public transit, listen to a podcast while not having to drive, and get picked up by her family. Or possibly rent a bike, scooter, or even car. When I was in college the only way I was able to attend classes my first semester was because I could take Metra into the city. After that I got on-campus housing and could take the CTA everywhere I needed to go.
Make all buses and train stations fully accessible
All buses should kneel, and should have ample room for people using wheelchairs, strollers, wheely carts, etc to ride safely. All train stations should have elevators that are quickly repaired when broken. Stations and stops should have shelter that keeps users dry, and warm with heat lamps that aren't on a short timer. Don't want to waste electricity by having them on for long stretches of time when nobody's there? Fine. Don't want to "waste electricity" by keeping unhoused people warm? Fuck you. Stations and stops should have seating that is comfortable, not narrow or divided or sloping downwards to prevent unhoused people from sleeping there.
Provide affordable, accessible housing
This might seem unrelated but I promise you, it is not! Unhoused people are our neighbors and they are human beings. Like all human beings they need shelter. That in itself is enough reason to provide affordable, accessible housing to all. I shouldn't have to give more reasons, but here we are. One of the big complaints about public transit is all the scary scary homeless people riding it/camping in bus shelters. Subsidize transit, and subsidize housing. 24% of our homeless population is kids. Over 80% are couch surfing/staying temporarily with family or friends which is both crowded and precarious. Over 20% are employed. Meanwhile, it's really hard to find a job when you don't have an address and have a hard time taking showers or doing laundry. I could get into a whole long list of amenities/social services this country could be providing but doesn't but that's a post for another time.
Dedicated bus lanes kept clear of debris
Dedicated bus lanes kept clear of debris by which I primarily mean snow. Buses carry far more passengers than cars do but when they get caught up in traffic that doesn't matter as much and also everyone gets irritated at the delay. Dedicated bus lanes keep things moving quickly, and make it obvious to drivers that buses are a viable superior option.
Dedicated bike lanes kept clear of debris
Yes, yes, cyclists, I've finally come to you. Your time has arrived. Dedicated bike lanes, clearly marked, kept free of debris like snow. Make it so vehicles can't park there, either. No trucks loading/unloading, nobody parked "for just a minute" as they "run into the store for just a second." No cops hanging out there (why do they do this???). It's a lane for bikes, for bikes only.
Bicycle and scooter rentals
We've got bike rental stations all over the place here and they're in constant use. People absolutely use them instead of cars. But there needs to be a way of preventing people from leaving them on sidewalks, blocking others (especially people using wheelchairs/assistive devices, strollers, etc) from using them.
Bike racks
Just put bike racks everywhere, but the good kind... the kind where you can lock your bike up in two different areas. Those big Us are ubiquitous for a reason - you can lock your bike in two distinct areas.
Public showers and lockers
If you walk/jog/cycle to work, especially in the summer, it's very likely you'll work up a sweat and arrive in a less than fresh state. Public showers and lockers, locking cubicles/change areas, are the answer. There was once a plan to provide this in Millennium Park in Chicago, but people objected and it didn't happen. The main objection? Homeless people might use the showers. People objected to homeless people bathing. Provide the facilities, ensure the locks function well, keep the area well staffed and in good repair. Let people bathe.
Establish more public seating in general, and public parks
Give people green spaces, spaces to walk to, spaces to sit in, spaces to get to know their neighbors and neighborhood in. Encourage people to start walking and they'll continue walking, get in the habit of walking. Give kids places to go and they'll keep going.
Encourage more grocery stores
People shouldn't have to travel to buy groceries. Full stop. People shouldn't have long bus rides, sometimes involving transfers, to buy groceries. Establish more grocery stores in places lacking grocery stores. Drugstores, too. And keep diapers and razors unlocked. Allow people dignity.
There's more, I know there's more. So much of this could happen if cities were just willing to spend money on something other than cops. Not to get all ACAB but the city of Chicago spends tens of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits concerning police misconduct... aka police officers beating, shooting, crashing cars into, etc. people. In 2021 Chicago shelled out nearly $80,000,000 in police misconduct settlements. In 2022 Chicago paid out $25,000,000 to settle three misconduct cases, another $11,200,000 on another three - only three!- misconduct charges. I haven't been able to find a full tally of 2022, coverage seems to be entirely behind paywalls (a huge issue in its own right).
But Chicago's Public Library system has a budget of a little over ten million dollars - $10,000,000. 2021 Police Misconduct spending amounts to 80% of that. We spend almost as much paying out settlements for theft (civil forfeiture), torture, and murder as we do on public libraries.
That's a lot of money that could be spent on things that actually improve our lives.
There will always be people who need to use cars due to disability. Always.
There would have to be a vast fundamental shift in the way our society is run, absolutely vast, for that to be possible.
However, there's ways for cities to be more accessible than they are right now and I, a city dweller, am going to list some of them. Some of these can also work for suburbs and small towns.
Clear snow, leaves, mud, ice, and debris from sidewalks and bus stops
Sidewalks need to be kept clean. Can residents and places of business do the job? Eh... what happens to people who are disabled and can't do it? People who are out of town? What happens when the task is just too much? We got a foot and a half of snow all at once one year. Where do people put that much snow? An easy answer is municipal sidewalk clearing. "Isn't that expensive?" Baby, everything is expensive. This keeps a city running. Bus stops and train stations should also be kept clear of snow and other debris. I've been unable to board/exit a bus because the entire sidewalk/shoulder was just heaped with snow. People get let on/off in the middle of the street, which is dangerous. Get all that stuff clear.
Keep sidewalks and curb cuts in good repair
I barely remember it now but when I was a kid every corner had the same height curb as the rest of the street. You had to step down into the street to cross then step back up. If you used a wheelchair this was basically impossible to do. If you were on a bike, pushing a stroller, pulling a wagon, using a wheely cart for your groceries, etc. it was difficult. If you had bad knees or a bad back the stepping down/up could be painful. Curb cuts, where the curb slopes down to be even with the road surface, make it possible to use a wheelchair to get around while also making it easier for everyone else as well. The textured plates embedded in the curb cut are a tactile signal to people with visual limitations. Curb cuts in some areas aren't well maintained, though. They crack and crumble, becoming tripping hazards. Sidewalks in general, especially in low income areas, are frequently in disrepair with large cracks and gaps. When my kid was young enough to need a stroller there were certain places I just didn't go because pushing the stroller down the sidewalk was so difficult. I had that choice, and in some situations I could muscle the stroller around a dangerous curb cut. Someone in a wheelchair can't do that. Speaking of people in wheelchairs, I once had to push someone in a motorized scooter (at their request and with their guidance) over a bad bit of sidewalks. They were stuck, completely stuck, because the sidewalk was in such poor repair. I'd just had surgery and could have injured myself. People with gait issues, people who can't life their feet high, there's a lot of people who just plain need a smooth flat surface to travel on. This shouldn't be hard.
Keep restaurants from blocking sidewalks
Keep patios and signs from blocking sidewalks. Seriously. I shouldn't have to step into the street because a restaurant's outside eating area chokes the sidewalk. There's people who CAN'T step into the street. Ban restaurants from putting those folding signs in the middle of the sidewalk. Two people should be able to walk abreast down a sidewalk.
Keep storm drains clear of debris and properly graded
Storm drains get clogged with debris really quickly, even when residents work to keep them clean. This can and does cause flooding. The flooding can be inconvenient - nobody likes wet shoes - to impassable. I've had to wade through water that reached to mid-shin. It was significantly higher on my kid, who at the time was 5. Clogged storm drains can cause flooded streets that damage cars, and that flood basements. Sometimes it rains so heavily there's going to be flooding no matter how clean the drains are. Other times intersections flood and stay flooded for days. Sometimes a drain sits higher than the deep puddles/flooded area. What the heck.
Fully subsidize public transit
Make the trains free. Make the buses free. And by "free" I mean "subsidized by taxes." It is not financially possible to make public transit self-supported, self-funded. It's expensive. Roads, even toll roads, aren't self-funded either but we all pay taxes for them even if we don't drive. If someone can just board a train or a bus at the spur of the moment without having to think about how much money is on their card, if you remove that bit of friction, more people will take public transit which means less people on the road which means a safer road for cyclists and a faster trip for buses and also less pollution.
Expand bus and train routes
Stretch those bus and train routes further into the city and further out from the city. What parts of the city are under-served? What parts of the city are hard to get to? Where outside of the city do people who commute to the city live? How can you make it easy for them to get to the city? Expand the bus and train lines, and also provide ample parking at the terminals and the train stations located further out of the city. If Joe Suburb wants to come into Chicago he can either sit in traffic and then pay a bunch for parking or he can drive a much shorter distance to a train station, park, play bejwelled on his phone for a while, then got off a few blocks from his destination. If Claire Urbanis wants to visit her cousins in the suburbs she can walk to her station/bus stop, hop on public transit, listen to a podcast while not having to drive, and get picked up by her family. Or possibly rent a bike, scooter, or even car. When I was in college the only way I was able to attend classes my first semester was because I could take Metra into the city. After that I got on-campus housing and could take the CTA everywhere I needed to go.
Make all buses and train stations fully accessible
All buses should kneel, and should have ample room for people using wheelchairs, strollers, wheely carts, etc to ride safely. All train stations should have elevators that are quickly repaired when broken. Stations and stops should have shelter that keeps users dry, and warm with heat lamps that aren't on a short timer. Don't want to waste electricity by having them on for long stretches of time when nobody's there? Fine. Don't want to "waste electricity" by keeping unhoused people warm? Fuck you. Stations and stops should have seating that is comfortable, not narrow or divided or sloping downwards to prevent unhoused people from sleeping there.
Provide affordable, accessible housing
This might seem unrelated but I promise you, it is not! Unhoused people are our neighbors and they are human beings. Like all human beings they need shelter. That in itself is enough reason to provide affordable, accessible housing to all. I shouldn't have to give more reasons, but here we are. One of the big complaints about public transit is all the scary scary homeless people riding it/camping in bus shelters. Subsidize transit, and subsidize housing. 24% of our homeless population is kids. Over 80% are couch surfing/staying temporarily with family or friends which is both crowded and precarious. Over 20% are employed. Meanwhile, it's really hard to find a job when you don't have an address and have a hard time taking showers or doing laundry. I could get into a whole long list of amenities/social services this country could be providing but doesn't but that's a post for another time.
Dedicated bus lanes kept clear of debris
Dedicated bus lanes kept clear of debris by which I primarily mean snow. Buses carry far more passengers than cars do but when they get caught up in traffic that doesn't matter as much and also everyone gets irritated at the delay. Dedicated bus lanes keep things moving quickly, and make it obvious to drivers that buses are a viable superior option.
Dedicated bike lanes kept clear of debris
Yes, yes, cyclists, I've finally come to you. Your time has arrived. Dedicated bike lanes, clearly marked, kept free of debris like snow. Make it so vehicles can't park there, either. No trucks loading/unloading, nobody parked "for just a minute" as they "run into the store for just a second." No cops hanging out there (why do they do this???). It's a lane for bikes, for bikes only.
Bicycle and scooter rentals
We've got bike rental stations all over the place here and they're in constant use. People absolutely use them instead of cars. But there needs to be a way of preventing people from leaving them on sidewalks, blocking others (especially people using wheelchairs/assistive devices, strollers, etc) from using them.
Bike racks
Just put bike racks everywhere, but the good kind... the kind where you can lock your bike up in two different areas. Those big Us are ubiquitous for a reason - you can lock your bike in two distinct areas.
Public showers and lockers
If you walk/jog/cycle to work, especially in the summer, it's very likely you'll work up a sweat and arrive in a less than fresh state. Public showers and lockers, locking cubicles/change areas, are the answer. There was once a plan to provide this in Millennium Park in Chicago, but people objected and it didn't happen. The main objection? Homeless people might use the showers. People objected to homeless people bathing. Provide the facilities, ensure the locks function well, keep the area well staffed and in good repair. Let people bathe.
Establish more public seating in general, and public parks
Give people green spaces, spaces to walk to, spaces to sit in, spaces to get to know their neighbors and neighborhood in. Encourage people to start walking and they'll continue walking, get in the habit of walking. Give kids places to go and they'll keep going.
Encourage more grocery stores
People shouldn't have to travel to buy groceries. Full stop. People shouldn't have long bus rides, sometimes involving transfers, to buy groceries. Establish more grocery stores in places lacking grocery stores. Drugstores, too. And keep diapers and razors unlocked. Allow people dignity.
There's more, I know there's more. So much of this could happen if cities were just willing to spend money on something other than cops. Not to get all ACAB but the city of Chicago spends tens of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits concerning police misconduct... aka police officers beating, shooting, crashing cars into, etc. people. In 2021 Chicago shelled out nearly $80,000,000 in police misconduct settlements. In 2022 Chicago paid out $25,000,000 to settle three misconduct cases, another $11,200,000 on another three - only three!- misconduct charges. I haven't been able to find a full tally of 2022, coverage seems to be entirely behind paywalls (a huge issue in its own right).
But Chicago's Public Library system has a budget of a little over ten million dollars - $10,000,000. 2021 Police Misconduct spending amounts to 80% of that. We spend almost as much paying out settlements for theft (civil forfeiture), torture, and murder as we do on public libraries.
That's a lot of money that could be spent on things that actually improve our lives.
