Roads are for Everyone?

I love walking through a city. It’s an activity that makes you slow down and connect with the world around you. You see more things, interact with others in the community, and it’s great exercise to boot. It does have a drawback though, it can be dangerous - especially in urban areas. If fact, you have a greater chance of dying as a pedestrian than a motorcyclist.Why is this? Why is walking so dangerous? I believe it centers around our love affair with the car. These big pieces of steel [well mainly plastic nowadays] have become woven into the very fabric of our everyday lives as Americans but it wasn’t something that happened overnight. It’s been decades of choices, cultural shifts and federal incentives that have created the car-centric landscape we know today. 

“One pedestrian dies from a vehicle every 1.5 hours in the U.S. alone.”

Rewinding a bit to the turn of the century, pedestrians & cars were at odds. Traditionally pedestrians had the same rights to use the roadway as any car but as vehicles speed and usage increased, it became a fight for the street...and cars won. This shift fundamentally changed the way we view our streets. Roads are for cars first, everything else second. Now around 100 years later almost everything around us supports this ideology, especially in the U.S. Now I’m not saying this thinking is inherently bad, it’s created many benefits for our modern society to enjoy. I don’t think this conversation is over, however. Not in a world where on average one pedestrian dies from a vehicle every 1.5 hours in the U.S. alone. We have come to a tipping point in history where we need to rethink what roads are used for. Many cities around the world are starting to see the benefits of creating car-free zones, and some are even looking to expand and recreate some roads just for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.

Now some may argue that creating infrastructure for anything other than cars is futile, especially when traffic is getting worse. I get it. Honestly though, we have already tried this approach, and it doesn’t really work. I think what we need are more options and less driving. The option to use something other than a personal vehicle and think differently about transportation than we have before. For most Americans right now they can’t see other options, and it’s unfortunately been by design. 

As most of my transportation is centered around either being a pedestrian or cyclist, I’m all too familiar with how unbalanced our road sharing ideas currently are. This can change though. Small steps toward a new mindset can make a big difference. Even if you can’t make the jump to walking, cycling, or public transport, being kind and respectful to others sharing the road goes a long way. I'm excited for what the future of transportation holds. Remember, we’re all in this together.