Comments on: Where The Streets Have Too Many Lanes http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/03/24/where-the-streets-have-too-many-lanes/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:54:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Todd Scott http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/03/24/where-the-streets-have-too-many-lanes/#comment-6713 Todd Scott Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:53:24 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=749#comment-6713 Detroit suffers the same fate of overbuilt roads. We built our road network for 2 million people. Then we built the interstates. Then 1.1 million people left the city. That explains most of our overbuilt roads. Many of these wider roads had street car lines. In Michigan, our road funding formula is based on road mile, not lanes. However, each state's STP funding is based on the total lane miles for their federal aid roads. Road diets on a federal aid road could reduce a state's STP funding share. The question I have is can we count bike lanes miles. That would encourage road diets on federal aid roads. Detroit suffers the same fate of overbuilt roads. We built our road network for 2 million people. Then we built the interstates. Then 1.1 million people left the city. That explains most of our overbuilt roads. Many of these wider roads had street car lines.

In Michigan, our road funding formula is based on road mile, not lanes. However, each state’s STP funding is based on the total lane miles for their federal aid roads. Road diets on a federal aid road could reduce a state’s STP funding share.

The question I have is can we count bike lanes miles. That would encourage road diets on federal aid roads.

]]> By: jeff http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/03/24/where-the-streets-have-too-many-lanes/#comment-6708 jeff Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:52:39 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=749#comment-6708 Too often road way maintenance funding is tired to lane mileage. It has proven problematic for state and municipal DOT's that have wanted to have road diets, but perhaps there was a similar 'spend it or lose it' mentality that went into the construction. Too often road way maintenance funding is tired to lane mileage. It has proven problematic for state and municipal DOT’s that have wanted to have road diets, but perhaps there was a similar ’spend it or lose it’ mentality that went into the construction.

]]> By: Jeffrey W. Baker http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/03/24/where-the-streets-have-too-many-lanes/#comment-6698 Jeffrey W. Baker Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:18:29 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=749#comment-6698 I grew up there so I feel free to comment! Walking anywhere just isn't in the culture there, or rather it wasn't until recently. People in OKC drive to absolutely everything starting with high school and ending at their funerals. There are no restaurants without parking, for example. If you want to eat, you drive. The blocks outside of the core downtown area are one mile on each side, with pure residential development within a block. The businesses and cultural places are at the intersections. So your average walk to the nearest thing is a mile, if you're lucky, and probably much more. What's worse is there's no sidewalks on the man streets outside downtown. Anyway, once you have that kind of non-walking culture in the suburbs you destroy the walking culture downtown. The mid-20th century development downtown is all "big", mostly big parking garages. There's a big indoor mall, a big botanical garden, a big stadium, etc. What's happened recently is a series of improvements called MAPS which have somewhat revitalized the downtown area. They dammed up the local river to give it that San Antonio feel, and installed a lot of retail and dining in an older industrial district. You can walk around in this area, and although it's not some old-world walkers' paradise, it is quite serviceable. The only real problem is the only way to get to that district is to drive and park in one of the colossal garages on the periphery. I grew up there so I feel free to comment! Walking anywhere just isn’t in the culture there, or rather it wasn’t until recently. People in OKC drive to absolutely everything starting with high school and ending at their funerals. There are no restaurants without parking, for example. If you want to eat, you drive. The blocks outside of the core downtown area are one mile on each side, with pure residential development within a block. The businesses and cultural places are at the intersections. So your average walk to the nearest thing is a mile, if you’re lucky, and probably much more. What’s worse is there’s no sidewalks on the man streets outside downtown.

Anyway, once you have that kind of non-walking culture in the suburbs you destroy the walking culture downtown. The mid-20th century development downtown is all “big”, mostly big parking garages. There’s a big indoor mall, a big botanical garden, a big stadium, etc.

What’s happened recently is a series of improvements called MAPS which have somewhat revitalized the downtown area. They dammed up the local river to give it that San Antonio feel, and installed a lot of retail and dining in an older industrial district. You can walk around in this area, and although it’s not some old-world walkers’ paradise, it is quite serviceable. The only real problem is the only way to get to that district is to drive and park in one of the colossal garages on the periphery.

]]> By: Yokota Fritz http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/03/24/where-the-streets-have-too-many-lanes/#comment-6697 Yokota Fritz Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:36:00 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=749#comment-6697 My guess: asphalt, labor and land are all cheap in Ok City. Transportation used to be cheap. My guess: asphalt, labor and land are all cheap in Ok City. Transportation used to be cheap.

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