Posts about Dallas

Pedestrians

Mid-morning coffee links: tragedy of the commons edition

by David Alpert   •   June 25, 2008 10:17 am

Is more chaos more safe? Too many road signs can, counterintuitively, be less safe than uncontrolled intersections, says an article in the Atlantic, using (slightly improperly) the analogy to the "tragedy of the commons". The basic premise is right; according to George Branyan, Pedestrian Program Coordinator of DDOT, uncontrolled intersections (no traffic lights) with marked crosswalks actually have 8 times the crash rate of unmarked, uncontrolled intersections.

Bikers vs. walkers in Central Park: New York's Central Park has become a battleground between the high-speed packs of exercising bicyclists and slow-moving pedestrians and dog walkers, writes New York Magazine, also invoking (more appropriately this time) the "tragedy of the commons" analogy.

Congestion pricing? In Texas? Highland Park, Texas officials are considering congestion tolls for residential Mockingbird Lane to discourage the packs of Dallas drivers who cut through on their daily commutes. Dallas Morning News via Richard Layman.

How about one at Florida and New Hampshire? Just Up the Pike praises new roundabouts in Montgomery County.

Development

Thin layer of ice found in hell

by David Alpert   •   January 26, 2006 5:19 pm

Smart growth, transit-oriented development - there are many names for the idea of building mixed-use, walkable communities. Whatever you call it, it's starting to catch on in suburban communities from San Mateo to Silver Spring. But most are areas with existing transit, near to already walkable cities. What about America's great bastions of sprawl?

Whether because of burgeoning traffic, rising gas prices, or sudden bursts of common sense, three areas thoroughly addicted to highways are trying to break the habit.

Northern Virginia's recent gubernatorial election hinged on development and sprawl. Democrat Tom Kaine promised to slow development and encourage more use of transit, and performed extremely well in the traditionally conservative suburbs against Republican Jerry Kilgore and his laissez-faire philophies that would exacerbate Virginia's enormous traffic problem.

Los Angeles is so associated with freeway sprawl that the plot of Who Framed Roger Rabbit actually hinged on the famous destruction of the Red Car trolleys in favor of freeways, recently elected a mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, who supports dense central downtowns, affordable housing, transit, parks, and public spaces. NIMBY residents of LA's Westside and their Congressman, Henry Waxman, blocked construction of the Red Line subway through their area toward Santa Monica in 1986, but this past December those same residents and the same Congressman their stance and now support the subway.

But most amazing of all, the city council and development officials in Dallas - that's Dallas, Texas, the one and only, home of the President George Bush Turnpike - is developing plans to change zoning to encourage pedestrian-friendly districts. Encoruaged by the success of a few TODs like Mockingbird Station or West Village (sounds positively New Yorkian!) Dallas officials have decided that "urban character" is the future of Dallas. And they mean it:

To cynics who believe the comprehensive plan will simply sit on a shelf, think again, said Janet Tharp, the city's interim assistant director of development. The plan's advisory committee will consider the draft in the coming weeks. And the Plan Commission and City Council are expected to approve one- to five-year implementation schedules in March and April.

What's next? Houston?