08 May 2008

Walkable is In

Nothing gets the point across better than a simple drawing like this by the New Urbanists:
 

On the subject of walkability... no other mode of transport compares in ease or pleasure. A few days ago our family took a nice bike ride to Newport. The ride was a lot of fun, but I was struck how much more complicated and difficult it was than our usual walk to the Library or Fountain Square. You can't really carry a conversation while biking, and one kid requires a special seat with a seatbelt, both require helmets that they have trouble with, add some mechanical difficulties, and then trying to park them in a safe spot and carrying the helmets around all adds up to a strained day. Really, nothing beats a walk.

8 comments:

valereee said...

Have you seen walk score? It analyzes your neighborhood's walkability. We were surprised when we moved to the 'burbs by how walkable the neighborhood we picked is -- we'd reluctantly moved from Clifton sure that our days of walking to everything were over, and by sheer luck chose a neighborhood in which we can walk to the library, post office, shopping, restaurants, bars -- and sure enough, the walk score here is 55 (out of 100) which for the 'burbs is not bad.

CityKin said...

Interesting. I just scored a 95!

Radarman said...

How do we get the city government to shift priority from the ease of automobile commuting to the safety and pleasure of walking? It's hard enough to get the city to acknowledge bicycles as desirable. There are, to my knowledge, no pedestrian advocates in the administration or on council. Other cities are walking far ahead of us.

VisuaLingual said...

BikePAC is [or was, I suppose] an advocacy group for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The "walk score" is a great tool, but you really have to know the neighborhood to understand the results. My closest grocery store is Bang's Market, closest movie theater is the Cincinnati Arts Association, and closest clothing and music store is Deveroe's. Things that make you go hmmm...

CityKin said...

What? You don't get your groceries at Bangs?

They do carry a wide selection of salty snacks.

VisuaLingual said...

I don't want to venture off-topic here, but I'm a bit conflicted when it comes to a place like Bang's. I'm inclined not to shop there because it offers almost nothing I need, and I also disapprove of its selection over all. Ideally, though, it could be my corner market. So, maybe I should shop there and use the opportunity to suggest what else it might carry? Money talks, but what's the best way for my money to talk?

Anonymous said...

BikePAC (Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee) is active, and they meet at Arnold's like the good old days.

It is not a council member, but because it is a formal city body they have the ear of council.

They are typically reacting to issues that come up, but if there is ever an issue that needs support or advocacy they are probably more than happy to help. I know they have been supportive of keeping steps open.

Riding in groups anywhere is a hassle, but locking the helmet to the bike can helps once you get there.

CityKin said...

I don't know how you can lock the helmet to the bike. I guess it depends on the type of helmet.