Comment 87370

By positive1 (anonymous) | Posted March 20, 2013 at 01:37:10

Clearly Mr. Johnson's main priority is to drive through the city. He shows little to no concern for numerous other stakeholders - pedestrians, cyclists, residents, shop owners, school children etc. This myopic 'Me First' attitude could benefit from an unblinkered, less insular view of the world - a world you could more easily see and take in on two way streets - and more the better on a bike or foot. If you simply want to travel from one end of the city to the other, quickly, I suggest the Linc or other peripheral roads.
One the other hand, if you want to drive into the city - say to do business, dine, shop, work, browse, explore then two way streets are far superior.

Case in point. Please see the article 'The Case Against One-way Streets' by Eric Jaffe rom Atlantic Cities Magazine.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/01/case-against-one-way-streets/4549/

Mr. Jaffe's main points:

- Livability: vehicles stop less on one-way streets, which is hard for bikers and pedestrians.
- Navigation: one-way street networks are confusing for drivers, which leads to more vehicle-miles traveled; they also make it tough for bus riders to locate stops for a return trip.
- Safety: speeds tend to be higher on one-way streets, and some studies suggest drivers pay less attention on them because there's no conflicting traffic flow.
- Economics: local businesses believe that two-way streets increase visibility.

He also reveals a graph that shows, for short trips, two way streets perform about the same or better than one way streets. Over longer distances, one way streets start to perform better but never up to the capacity of two way streets with banned left turns.

To those who adamantly refuse to ride an LRT - I'll be willing to bet you have never been on one or you would not honestly make such an uninformed statement (without firsthand knowledge). I have taken a ride on several and believe me, it is the future like it or not. Don't be dragged kicking and screaming into it. Embrace it and you won't be sorry.

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