Active Neighbourhoods

[classic33]

Where they used to, pretty much. The barriers take up less than a space each.

If the choice is a slightly longer drive around the streets, then you'll find that people will just park as close as possible to their house.

Some of the estates built with no through routes are far worse than Active Neighbourhoods, with not only emergency vehicles unable to pass through, but also walkers and cyclists. Ironically, one of the loudest voices against filtered through routes in planning applications has been the Police, who seem to think burglars are carrying 50" tellys away by bike.

Not the same thing though. And certainly not an accurate description to what the thread is about, active neighborhoods.

 

[mjr]

Not the same thing though. And certainly not an accurate description to what the thread is about, active neighborhoods.

What notorious estate was built with point closures in place but was easier to demolish than move the closure points?

 

[Oldhippy]

As always with sustainable development and transport there is no political will, until there is it will continue to be half ar*ed attempts with little gained.

 

[classic33]

What notorious estate was built with point closures in place but was easier to demolish than move the closure points?

It was one local to me.
As vehicle ownership increased, access became harder. The estate became notorious for this/due to this.

 

[boydj]

One of the main reasons that cycling is so popular in Holland is that they started turning neighbourhoods into LTNs many years ago. These will typically have a perimeter road and only two or three ways into the neighbourhood for cars, while being much more permeable for walking and cycling. This design makes short journeys by car less attractive and successfully encourages active travel for these journeys.

For a LTN to be successful in car-worshipping UK there is a need for a good selling job and education for the inhabitants to see the advantages.

 

[mjr]

For a LTN to be successful in car-worshipping UK there is a need for a good selling job and education for the inhabitants to see the advantages.

The selling job continues in Gear Change: One Year On, in a chapter called "Low traffic neighbourhoods: the evidence so far". Best to skip past the Foreword IMO, but it does show there is political will to make more of these neighbourhoods.

 

[All uphill]

One of the main reasons that cycling is so popular in Holland is that they started turning neighbourhoods into LTNs many years ago. These will typically have a perimeter road and only two or three ways into the neighbourhood for cars, while being much more permeable for walking and cycling. This design makes short journeys by car less attractive and successfully encourages active travel for these journeys.

For a LTN to be successful in car-worshipping UK there is a need for a good selling job and education for the inhabitants to see the advantages.

I was living in a city there at the time and saw/heard the screams of outrage when this happened. It was a difficult change for many people and required strong and persistent political leadership.

 

[boydj]

I was living in a city there at the time and saw/heard the screams of outrage when this happened. It was a difficult change for many people and required strong and persistent political leadership.

All true - but ask them if they want to change back and the answer is an almost unanimous 'No!'.

Recent pictures from Paris show what can be achieved - it's become a cycling city since the start of the pandemic, a far cry from the traffic-choked city of just a couple of years ago.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

All true - but ask them if they want to change back and the answer is an almost unanimous 'No!'.

Recent pictures from Paris show what can be achieved - it's become a cycling city since the start of the pandemic, a far cry from the traffic-choked city of just a couple of years ago.

Paris has had a pro cycling Mayor for many years. It's hardly something that has only happened because of the pandemic.

 

[boydj]

Paris has had a pro cycling Mayor for many years. It's hardly something that has only happened because of the pandemic.

True, the groundwork had already been laid. The pandemic was the catalyst to finish the process.

 

[Boopop]

I wonder if, much like the media at large and indeed government both local and national, @fossyant asked on here a decade ago how people would feel about the residential streets they live on being used as rat runs as the number of drivers increased. I'm guessing not. As ever, measures to increase the number of people driving get a free pass, whereas any measure to reduce it is subjected to the Spanish Inquisition.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/25/rat-running-residential-uk-streets-satnav-apps

 

[fossyant]

I wonder if, much like the media at large and indeed government both local and national, @fossyant asked on here a decade ago how people would feel about the residential streets they live on being used as rat runs as the number of drivers increased. I'm guessing not. As ever, measures to increase the number of people driving get a free pass, whereas any measure to reduce it is subjected to the Spanish Inquisition.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/25/rat-running-residential-uk-streets-satnav-apps

We've actually got an issue at the bottom of our road with folk using a residential street to cut out traffic. One of the main traffic lights has had the priority changed which means a big tail back at rush hour. To avoid this drivers are using a nearby residential street to try and avoid the tail back. Unfortunately far too many are doing this resulting in gridlock. I can only get in and out of our road in one direction when this happens every evening. So glad I'm cycling to work to bypass this madness

 

[Boopop]

We've actually got an issue at the bottom of our road with folk using a residential street to cut out traffic. One of the main traffic lights has had the priority changed which means a big tail back at rush hour. To avoid this drivers are using a nearby residential street to try and avoid the tail back. Unfortunately far too many are doing this resulting in gridlock. I can only get in and out of our road in one direction when this happens every evening. So glad I'm cycling to work to bypass this madness

I do wonder how the people who advocate for more roads to be built to reduce congestion (ignoring the theory of induced demand) would like it if their house was bulldozed to make way for more roads. It's not like it hasn't happened before, usually to the detriment of ethnic minorities and poorer communities in general.

The only logical way to reduce congestion is to make driving less convenient (while making other modes inc. public transport moreso), to get people out of their cars for very short journeys. There's a startling amount of journeys under two miles that are carried out by motor vehicle.
Figure 1: Percentage of journeys by trip length and main mode, England, 2017

Table 1: Journeys, by length as a percentage of all journeys, 2017

Source

 

[FishFright]

That, and his brother thought it funny not to warn him about the closures. I suspect one of mine would!

Maybe it's his brother installing the concrete blocks ?

 

[stoatsngroats]

I was of the opinion that emergency services were aware of traffic orders, and would,know access ability and restriction before any event requiring their attendance.
With blues and twos, their rate of access wouldn’t likely be hindered much diverting around ‘the blocks’ to the correct location on the 1st occasion. (I.e. not driving along one road, only to find it was blocked and further progress impossible).
I believe they walk the LTN to assure themselves that access was sufficient for all properties.