Comment by inetknght

Comment by inetknght 5 days ago

Pedestrians rightfully expect safe walking and biking infrastructure.

Not everyone can drive. Most of those who can't drive also cannot afford a taxi or rideshare. Many of them also do not have friends or family who can get them where they need to go, and reliance on others is extremely demoralizing to independence.

That says nothing of the carbon cost in fuel, the microparticle cost in tire and brake dust, or other inflated pollutants.

The U.S.'s car-dominant infrastructure is a tragedy.

gs17 5 days ago

> Pedestrians rightfully expect safe walking and biking infrastructure.

Cyclists and pedestrians should be considered two separate groups. Most biking infrastructure doesn't benefit me at all as a pedestrian (but it's okay, because the cyclists will still ride on sidewalk instead of the bike lane).

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inetknght 5 days ago

> the cyclists will still ride on sidewalk instead of the bike lane
A lot of cyclists feel safer on the sidewalk because cars do not respect cyclists. It unfortunately does make it more dangerous for pedestrians.
> Cyclists and pedestrians should be considered two separate groups.
Yes, and they both rightfully expect safe infrastructure even if it is separate.

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- gs17 5 days ago
  
  > A lot of cyclists feel safer on the sidewalk because cars do not respect cyclists. It unfortunately does make it more dangerous for pedestrians.
  It's like the food chain, except cyclists don't seem to respect either pedestrians or motorists.
  
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ImPostingOnHN 5 days ago

> Not everyone can drive

Not everyone can afford to live in an area of the city where they don't have to drive places, either.

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NegativeLatency 5 days ago

Which is exactly why we should build and design communities to have good transit.
When all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.

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- ImPostingOnHN 5 days ago
  
  Heck yeah, I'm all for building and designing communities to have good transit. I love it when I can get where I want to go without driving. Let's do it, teammate!
  In the meantime, until that's done and everybody lives where they can easily take public transit from their home to where they want to go, we'll continue to be in the situation I described, and will have to compromise with our fellow humans who have different locomotion options and choices.
  All people are equal, regardless of transportation, so this intersection seems like a fair compromise which doesn't preference one person over another.
  
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1970-01-01 5 days ago

I agree with everything you said except your first sentence. Why should people rightfully expect walking and biking infra to be paid for when it contributes so little to their economy?

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fwip 5 days ago

Because human beings care about things that aren't the economy. Do you actually evaluate all public spending on this sole metric, or just the things you don't personally desire?

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- 1970-01-01 5 days ago
  
  Can you provide an example where road budget spending was overridden by public outcry and was completed to those expectations?
  
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NegativeLatency 5 days ago

Cul-de-sac style suburbs, stroads and other related development patterns are a net drain on the local economy. It’s not a sustainable pattern long term when infrastructure needs to be replaced or upgraded.
And besides it’s really depressing to be so isolated and only get around in a little metal box.

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impendia 5 days ago

For the same reason that people expect car infrastructure to be paid for: whether they are walking, biking, or driving, they are frequently traveling to some place where they will contribute to the economy.
Walking is not merely some sort of hobby. It is transportation, a means of getting from one place to another -- often the most convenient and pleasant means. And transportation infrastructure certainly falls under the purview of local governments.

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prmoustache 5 days ago

For a start because building infrastructure for cyclists brings more return of investment, happiness and health than infrastructure for cars.

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