Today’s DominionPost trotted out the old anti-inner city bypass line that communities have been divided.
Is there really anyone who’s found themselves cut off from another part of town by the bypass? Can people really be that bad at crossing the road? I’ve found Cuba St, in particular, more pedestrian friendly since the bypass opened.
Indeed, does the Dom have any basis for the claim that there have been any communities divided by the bypass or was this a journalist just too lazy to do more than regurgitate a slogan?
2 responses so far ↓
Divided // 30 September, 2008 at 9:05 am |
Well, there are two meanings to the phrase “divided communities”: first in the way that you suggest, by physically dividing up the city; and secondly in the way that issues such as the ‘81 tour were said to divide he community, by creating bitter differences of opinion. In the second case it’s certainly true, and the first case may be debatable, but…
There is actually empirical research to show the effect of traffic on communit cohesion. A study in San Francsico (I don’t have the reference, but it’s quoted in Richard Rogers’ “Cities for a Small Planet”) plotted patterns of friendship in city streets, and while those with light traffic averaged 3.0 friends & 6.3 acquaintances per person, in heavily trafficed streets that dropped to 0.9 friends and 3.1 acquaintances per person. Streets should be the centre points of communities, but heavy through traffic turns them into barriers.
I’m trying to track down another piece of research that I saw a while back, which concluded that when one has to wait an average of over 2 seconds to cross a road, it is seen as a boundary, as an edge to a district or community. 2 seconds doesn’t seem long, but it’s an average that’s brought down by all the times that you can cross without waiting, so essentially for a road to seem like part of a district rather than it’s edge, most of the time there should be no cars coming. Think of Cuba St between Ghuznee & Vivian: only one lane of traffic, one can often cross after just a quick glance, and at worst wait a second or two for a couple of cars, and it thus feels like the two sides of the street are part of a whole. At Vivian St and Karo Dr, however, for most of the day you’ll have to wait a minute or more for just a brief crossing phase at the lights, and you generally wouldn’t bother unless you had a specific destination on the other side.
To sum up, of course journalists can cross the road, and so can all of us if we really have to. But unless it’s quick, convenient, pleasant and safe to do so, crossing the road will be an effort rather than a pleasure, discouraging the sort of casual mingling and wandering that makes a pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood and helps to build communities.
Richard // 30 September, 2008 at 9:47 pm |
I kinda agree with the second definition of divided with regard to the Bypass. It was certainly the bell weather issue of its day – I took to calling it the Freedom Highway to infuriate its detractors.
That all makes intutive sense, Karo Dr has definitely created a new boundry at that end of town while while softening the old Ghuznee one.