Urban environment issues in the media

Public transport holds key for clean cities, says study

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29207644
(Article also mentions walking and cycling)

Illustration showing how we divvy up our urban space from a walkers perspective
http://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/11/18/7236471/cars-pedestrians-roads

Does that reflect Swedish legislation which prohibits crossing except at designated crossing points? I'm afraid I don't know what the law is there. I couldn't see any other reason for drawing it in such an extreme way. Luckily, of course, it's not a problem which exists in the UK, although while not de iure, de facto traffic conditions may, of course, have a similar effect. I don't find drawings like this very helpful, as the 'chasm' idea certainly contributes to dangerisation.

Interesting to see the Philly snow pictures. Many of these junctions would have been made so wide in the past to allow horse-drawn carriages to turn around, much like many junctions in London. (I've heard it said that Philadelphia is the American city most like London.) There is certainly ample space now to increase provision of public space. All power to the elbows of those who are trying to make it happen. It has to be said, though, that some of the snow pictures are deceptive, as for instance they 'draw' traffic islands where you would want to create continuous kerb build-outs without traffic lanes between them. Just because drivers currently drive close to the kerb doesn't mean that this shows you where carriageway space should be taken, e.g. in this case:

Even so Oliver, from observations of how some people use the roads and choose where to cross, the image is how some people do perceive their right to access road space. As we de-prioritised motors by design, this mental picture will adjust

This is momentous:

http://road.cc/content/news/169802-motor-traffic-other-buses-be-banned-londons-bank-junction

There's a petition on bringing a minimum passing distance to the UK road laws that some people may be interested in.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/128190

https://www.itv.com/hub/tonight/1a9757a0125

"Just because you’ve bought a car it doesn’t mean you’ve also bought 10 square metres of public space to leave it on,” Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores, mayor of the Spanish city of Pontevedra"

https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/the-future-is-now-driving-the-car-free-city-revolution/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/15/uk-families-threats-police-warnings-children-playing-in-street

Read this earlier, people need to have a word with themselves

Being older also makes me realise how patient other people on our street were when I was growing up, we were often loud, banging things, blocking the road playing games, hitting balls in gardens but there was the odd grumble and being told to be more careful but nothing that wasn't unfair

we were often loud, banging things, blocking the road

Yes, the noise of children playing and clogging up the road...

The solution?
Bring in the cars