Gagnon: Moving away from a car-centric city requires better safety measures
In the last month, the City of Ottawa has revealed some key documents for the future: the second draft of the zoning bylaw and an update to the Transportation Master Plan. Those documents outline a plan to address key issues, including the housing crisis and the municipal budget shortfall. Another key element is a move away from car-centric urban design.
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Developing and maintaining car infrastructure is very expensive. The city maintains 6,000 km of road infrastructure; a vast system of storm sewers needed to drain every surface parking lot; a police force to enforce traffic laws; and emergency services to address the life-altering collisions that occur on our streets every day. The city also ensures that everyone everywhere has plenty of parking that could be better used for housing, businesses or green space. These amenities would provide a better quality of life to our citizens, along with more tax revenue.
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Such changes would necessitate a certain percentage of us to change our way of life. For some, it would mean more transit. For others, it would be using more active transportation. For the majority who continue to drive, it might mean taking a few minutes longer to get where you are going or having to walk a bit between your parking spot and your destination. Fortunately, some people are willing to adapt and help facilitate that change. However, these people need the city to help.
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When people drive, they are provided with a very forgiving environment. Our lanes are wide. Our intersections are designed to be safe for cars, with obstacles such as traffic lights designed to shear off so a driver is less likely to be injured. The sides of the road are clear of obstacles such as trees (never mind the pedestrians on the sidewalk), so drivers going off-road can recover. These elements make it so that a driver who generally follows the rules of the road can walk away from a mistake with minimal impact.
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People outside of cars do not benefit from such forgiving design. Cyclists, for example, are often expected to ride with traffic, where a small mistake from them, such as not seeing a pothole, can cost them their lives.
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There are many reasons people will choose to bike or walk. Having experienced cycling as my primary mode of transportation for almost three years, I think it would be a good thing for most people. However, this change needs to be implemented in a way that those choosing to adopt active transportation get to make mistakes and are not forced into dangerous situations. Helping people transition would go a long way toward addressing the many issues our city faces.
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Gagnon: Moving away from a car-centric city requires better safety measures
In the last month, the City of Ottawa has revealed some key documents for the future: the second draft of the zoning bylaw and an update to the Transportation Master Plan. Those documents outline a plan to address key issues, including the housing crisis and the municipal budget shortfall. Another key element is a move away from car-centric urban design. Article content Article content Developing and maintaining car infrastructure is very expensive. The city maintains 6,000 km of road infrastructure; a vast system of storm sewers needed to drain every surface parking lot; a police force to enforce traffic laws; and emergency services to address the life-altering collisions that occur on our streets every day. The city also ensures that everyone everywhere has plenty of parking that could be better used for housing, businesses or green space. These amenities would provide a better quality of life to our citizens, along with more tax revenue. Article content Article content Such changes would necessitate a certain percentage of us to change our way of life. For some, it would mean more transit. For others, it would be using more active transportation. For the majority who continue to drive, it might mean taking a few minutes longer to get where you are going or having to walk a bit between your parking spot and your destination. Fortunately, some people are willing to adapt and help facilitate that change. However, these people need the city to help. Article content When people drive, they are provided with a very forgiving environment. Our lanes are wide. Our intersections are designed to be safe for cars, with obstacles such as traffic lights designed to shear off so a driver is less likely to be injured. The sides of the road are clear of obstacles such as trees (never mind the pedestrians on the sidewalk), so drivers going off-road can recover. These elements make it so that a driver who generally follows the rules of the road can walk away from a mistake with minimal impact. Article content People outside of cars do not benefit from such forgiving design. Cyclists, for example, are often expected to ride with traffic, where a small mistake from them, such as not seeing a pothole, can cost them their lives. Article content Article content There are many reasons people will choose to bike or walk. Having experienced cycling as my primary mode of transportation for almost three years, I think it would be a good thing for most people. However, this change needs to be implemented in a way that those choosing to adopt active transportation get to make mistakes and are not forced into dangerous situations. Helping people transition would go a long way toward addressing the many issues our city faces. Article content
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Moffatt: Zombies, fairies and dragons in Ottawa's new transportation plan
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