I'd like to recommend the Spring issue of GOOD magazine to anyone interested in the issues of transit, cycling, walkable neighborhoods or highway policy.The articles range from solidly practical (how to choose a bike) to whimsical (the development of floating cars). There's a great image on how to arrange a busy urban intersection to suit all the people and vehicles that need to use it (showing lots of colored pavement and large street trees). And there's a piece on San Francisco's 30-year-old casual carpool system, where strangers share a ride and get a free pass at the tollbooth, plus stuff about light rail, stimulus funding and zipcars.
It's not on the newstands any more, but you can read all the articles from this link. Food for thought.
I was really inspired by the 'busy urban intersection' link. There are some great ideas here, and I urge Eye readers to follow the link. The site clearly shows how pedestrians, buses, cars, and bicycles can share a space safely and efficiently, as well as with attractive design.
ReplyDeleteAs things are now with our roads, many are a field of potholes (for ex., Long Ln btw. Long Hill & Wadsworth), so we have a long way to go. If Middletown's city & traffic planners could implement more of such ideas, I believe it would improve our quality of life & make our town more attractive to people as well as businesses.