Postby AndyTheMan » Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:22 pm
Here is the problem with road design in Austrlalia - especially the design of main arterial routes. Please note that this perspective comes from years working in development/urban planning and dealing with people like RMS (former NSW RTA) as well as Highways Agency in the UK etc.
(I'll use the RTA/RMS in this, but I'm sure it will apply to most state/local agencies dealing with the primary road network)
The RMS has been pretty much focused on one thing - that is, getting cars/buses/trucks from A to B as quickly as possible. Everything about road design and associated infrastructure is built around this one main premise. Any other consideration (safety for pedestrians, parking, access to side roads, cycle lanes) come a distant second.
We can see this in dozens of examples in every neighbourhood. This includes clearways and no parking zones, fencing to prevent people straying onto the road, the phasing of traffic lights and placement of pedestrian corssings, the prevention of development that will have access roads/carparks entering onto a main road, closing intersections to make them 'left in/left out' only, or blocking access altogether, installing queuing lanes so turning traffic doesn't impede the main flow of traffic.....
This includes the design of roundabouts and lights/intersections - they are designed not to be safe for cyclists or pedestrians, but to get cars flowing a quickly as possible.
There are numerous cases of things like parking out the front of businesses being taken away to create no stopping areas, because cars stopping/parking slows traffic. Near me the traffic light phasing on every intersection is designed around ensuring the main road is unimpeded by pedestrians crossing it, or cars entering the flow of traffic. The actual people living their lives and running businesses, walking home from school etc have been relegated to being a secondary consideration, because the free and fast flow of traffic is seen as paramount.
This is emphasises in media and even government reporting - we've all seen the reports of how much slower traffic is on X, Y or Z primary traffic route - its now a key test of whether various traffic/roads agencies are being successful (ie whether they can improve traffic
This is fundamentally opposite to creating safer intersections for pedestrians/cyclists and completely the opposite of 'traffic calming'.
Funnily, it would perhaps be by creating more cycle and pedestrian friendly environments that they improved road travel times, as people would be more tempted to walk/ride/use public transport rather than getting in the car to go 3km for the milk....