An urbanist blogger from Savannah visited Atlanta earlier this year and shared some thoughts about the startling presence of car infrastructure (and lack of pedestrians) in the middle of the city.
A quote:
…notice how much real estate is given over to temporarily storing cars. And, this is a city with a fairly robust rail transit system. MARTA certainly has its flaws, but as the last true subway/heavy rail system built in America, it’s more than most cities have.
To be fair, he’s coming from a city that has one of the most walkable districts in the US, so Atlanta’s bound to be a strong contrast. And he doesn’t mention (or maybe doesn’t know) that there are lots of spots not far from here with a nice amount of pedestrian activity, particularly in my downtown Fairlie-Poplar area and the Peachtree Street corridor further north of the spot pictured above.
Nonetheless, I think he raises some solid points about many central parts of the city containing too damn much car infrastructure via parking facilities and highway on/off ramps. This patch south of North Avenue in particular is a real dead zone, something I’ve noticed many times myself on my regular walks through here.
I’d love to see Atlanta leaders focus on lessening the impact of cars on this area.
"In an America enraptured by the cultural prosthesis that is the automobile, walking has become a lost mode, perceived as not a legitimate way to travel but a necessary adjunct to one’s car journey, a hobby…"
— The Crisis in American Walking: How we got off the pedestrian path | By Tom Vanderbilt | Slate
"For the first time in two generations, there has been a significant shift in how many miles Americans are driving each year…America needs to understand these trends when deciding how to focus our future transportation investments, especially when transportation dollars are so scarce."
— New Report: Long-Term Drop in How Much People Drive, Youth Desire More Transportation Options
"Much of America is chained to the steering wheel because postwar sprawl — created by government mandated parking lots and interstate highways — made the car the only pleasant way to get around this country. We have the illusion of choice where none exists at all, unless you mean choosing which drive-thru or big box store to visit next."
—
The Cost of Free Parking by Lewis McCrary
(via urbanmechanic)
(via urbnfutr)
"Right now, four billion of your tax dollars subsidize the oil industry every year. Four billion dollars…As you watch those numbers rise, know that oil company profits have never been higher. Yet somehow, Congress is still giving those same companies another four billion dollars of your money. That’s outrageous. It’s inexcusable. And it has to stop."
— President Obama, Weekly Address
