Low Traffic Neighbourhoods can, and should, benefit us all
We all want good street design, and varied transport options. So let’s make sure we are very deliberately building for all of us.
Previous tactical urbanism and low-traffic initiatives with noble intentions have often failed to account for the needs of everyone in their community. Changing the road design has led to those fun bumpy bits of pavement that vision impaired people rely on not being adjusted properly and making life unnecessarily confusing and unsafe for them. Or removing parking spaces that residents with limited mobility actually most definitely still needed.
When we talk about “getting more people on bikes” we shouldn’t just be meaning the MAMILs (middle aged *cough* rich white cis *cough* men in lycra), but exactly what it says on the tin, more people. We should be celebrating every time anyone is keen to give up the existing entrenched transport habits they have, and try it out. That might mean we need to help them find a bike that has some cool adjustments to make it work for them, and someone to show them how to work it if it’s new to them. No one is too old to learn to ride a bike, but a bit of green paint on a busy road isn’t gonna teach them. Building infrastructure is equally key to making more people feel confident on two or three wheels.
We know that tactical urbanism initiatives can have a hugely positive effect on the communities they’re implemented in. So let’s make sure everyone is reaping the benefits, and not further excluding the people who already find it hardest to access their community, for the benefit of those already getting the most from it.
This post is part of a series inspired by “The Shared Path”. An excellent report about building back better post-pandemic.
Check out the other post inspired by The Shared Path –
Out with “Road Safety”, in with “Transport Health”
Image Credits:
Bikes: bertknot
Confusing pavement: Dr Amy Kavanagh
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