News   Mar 27, 2024
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News   Mar 27, 2024
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News   Mar 27, 2024
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Road Safety & Vision Zero Plan

I really don’t get why people who are advocating a move beyond the automobile (which I agree with) feel the need to rewrite the history of the last hundred years and vilify the automobile as part of making that happen. The auto enabled a massive growth in the efficiency of moving both people and goods, and permitted development over a much broader expanse of the continent than was possible with railways and horse drawn transport.
Not only that, but there is no future without something vaguely car-like in the transportation mix. We have just made it the only viable option in too many places, and sacrificed livability and sustainability to make it so.
 
The city should put in cobblestones at the intersections along Eglinton Avenue East and the surface light rail sections. That will force the motorists to slow down when they cross the light rail tracks.

The Effect of Brick and Granite Block Paving Materials on Traffic Speed

From link.

Slowing traffic speed in urban areas has been shown to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities due to automobile accidents. This research aims to measure how brick and granite block paving materials, which were widely used historically prior to the use of asphalt paving in many cities, may influence free flow traffic speed. Traffic speeds for 690 vehicles traversing street blocks paved with asphalt, granite block, and brick materials were measured using a radar gun on a sample of 18 matched pair (asphalt and historic paving material) street blocks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fixed effects linear regression was used to estimate the effect of paving material on vehicle speed after controlling for the street class (e.g., arterial versus local road) and the matched pair. Results indicate that brick reduced speeds by approximately 3 mph (~5 km/h) and granite block reduced speeds by approximately 7 mph (~11 km/h), as compared to asphalt paved city streets, which we attribute to drivers intentionally slowing due to road roughness. This research suggests that brick and granite block paving materials may be an effective traffic calming strategy, having implications for reducing negative health outcomes associated with pedestrian–automobile collisions.
Don't we want the traffic to slow down?

Should do the same on the downtown legacy streetcar track network. Use the blocks at the major intersections that have streetcar tracks to slow motorists down. They shouldn't be want-to-be expressways.
 
As an occasional cyclist, biking on cobblestones is the worst (and dangerous IMO).

It would be possible to introduce cobble stone in intersections and except the crosswalks and an additional area of 2.0M and/or the bike lane which would still be conventionally paved/concrete.

Though I wouldn't get stuck on cobblestone or any other specific material really; the idea is sound, which is using visual, textural (and in the case of cobblestone, audio) clues to a motorist to slow down a bit.

That can take the form of brick/stone etc. as well as pinch points/chicanes and all sorts of different choices depending on the road.
 
As an occasional cyclist, biking on cobblestones is the worst (and dangerous IMO).
I wouldn't think stones this close together would bother you, are you talking about more spaced-out stones?
Here's a guy casually biking with a stone/brick road
Screenshot 2021-05-25 8.59.06 PM.png
Oh and this road would likely still be a measure for traffic calming I would think
 
It would be possible to introduce cobble stone in intersections and except the crosswalks and an additional area of 2.0M and/or the bike lane which would still be conventionally paved/concrete.

Though I wouldn't get stuck on cobblestone or any other specific material really; the idea is sound, which is using visual, textural (and in the case of cobblestone, audio) clues to a motorist to slow down a bit.

That can take the form of brick/stone etc. as well as pinch points/chicanes and all sorts of different choices depending on the road.
How the dutch do it...
marshallDutch.jpg

From link.
 
In New York City, they use smooth stone between the rougher cobblestones.
centerblvd.jpg

From link.

In Prague, they use smooth bicycle paths in the cobblestone streets.
dscn3275-1.jpg

From link. Cycling down a narrow 25 cm wide cycling tile path in Prague 1 area --a compromise solution for perserving the cobblestones. Tiled path is narrow going up and down a hill slope with loaded panniers in all-weather. June 2010. Photo by HJEH Becker
 

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