Quote of the Week: Speck on Urbanism

Urbanism is not an invention. It developed naturally over time in response to human needs. - Jeff Speck, Smart Growth Manual

There is a misconception that the New Urbanism is an invention or an architectural/planning idea that was invented from the minds of <Insert one: communists, socialists, planners>.  Actually, it's essentially a collection of evolved knowledge that was thrown away following WWII in favor of the drivable suburban experiment.  The new urbanists more than anything else can be thanked for digging that knowledge out of the trash can of history and putting it back in our toolbox.

ht: Todd Bonnett

Could We Use a Traffic Garden?

I thought this video was really interesting and wondered if something like the traffic garden in the clip could work here in the US. The Netherlands has done an incredible job reducing the death rates on its roads over the past 50 years and I can't help but think that it's ideas like this that help make a difference.

I also thought it was interesting that the speaker used the term 'traffic exam' instead of driving exam when he was referring to the test his daughter had to take before getting on the road. It's definitely a different way of thinking.

Quote of the Week: Parking

Since I've been thinking about Parking lately, I thought this one would be good...

As more land is used for parking, less land is left for the things that really make a city great: a place to live, work, shop and socialize. Our data supports this concept. ...

The best use of the city’s land is making great places that attract people. The role of transportation policy should be to provide access to these places in the fairest, most efficient ways.

Christopher McCahill from Too Much Parking, Too Few Residents at New Urban Network

The article covers analysis of New Haven, CT and has an interesting image of New Haven's parking space in 1951 and the same area in 2008.  It looks like cancer.

Friday Factiod: Atlanta's Driving Costs

AAA’s “Crashes vs. Congestion – What’s the Cost to Society?” reported metro Atlanta’s car crashes cost the area $10.8 billion, or $1.979 per person, in 2009. The report also noted 498 deaths and 62,263 injuries related to car crashes in metro Atlanta.

Almost 500 deaths a year on our roads.  We just accept it and move on.  Driving is the most dangerous thing that the average Atlantan does and we continue to want to widen roads, drive faster and live in an environment where the car dictates our lives.  We should be building places that don't require us to get into a car for every trip.

Atlanta Business Chronicle via ATLUrbanist

Where to Park on Canton Street?

I recently read this article on The Roswell Neighbor discussing the availability of parking on Canton Street and potential solutions to the issue.  I know this is a hot topic for many especially since the restaurant scene has exploded here over the past ~5 years.  I think the common complaint is that it takes too long to park and thus we need more parking.  However, let's not over react.  

I go to Canton Street (by car) almost weekly to eat and the longest it has ever taken me to park at peak time is about 10 minutes.  When I do get a spot, it's usually within 50 yards of the main restaurant area. Anywhere else on Canton is a breeze to park.  There are 1,847 parking spots between Magnolia St and Woodstock St and a recent study suggest that the area is 69 spaces short during peak times.  

A normal parking space is about 180 sq ft (10x18).  So, 69 spaces is 12,420 sq ft. or ~.285 acres.  When you add in driving space, that effectively doubles.  So, just to meet the current peak demand, Canton St would need to figure out where a half an acre could be paved to park some cars.  I'm not so sure that we need to do this given the demand but I wanted to think about what we could do to prepare for added demand if that does come.

Here are my recommendations in order of cost from the least to the most expensive:

• Do nothing - The current situation isn't actually as bad as it seems.  There are plenty of spaces within a short walk along Mimosa, at City Hall and across 9 from Diesel.  Proper direction and labeling could help.  There is also some opportunity for lot reconfiguration and multi-use lots in areas.
• Create a Parking Lot - I don't have any ideas on where to do this since we won't be able to find a half/acre unless we tear down a building or two.  If we do that, then we might as well do it right.. see the last two entries.
• Deck Behind Restaurants - Here, we would just build a deck where a current parking area is.  See the red shaded area on the map.
• Surface Lot Behind Buildings - This one is actually my favorite as it will do a lot to complete Canton Street and give additional parking.  You tear down the old antique store and move a 2-3 story building up to Canton Street and line the north side of Webb Street with either shop fronts or townhomes.  Behind the buildings invisible to Canton Street, you would have a surface parking lot that is larger than what is existing. If demand grew, you could eventually build a deck here.
• Deck Behind Townhomes - Here we would line the southern tip of Canton St, the northern side of Magnolia and the southeastern tip of the Webb Street Extension with townhomes or live work units with some retail below.  The corner of Canton & Magnolia would be a small office or bank building.

Here's the visual:

Now, let's not forget the age old problem of charging for parking.  If the need to charge arises and you have built an expensive deck, the logical course of action would be to charge for the deck and leave the surface parking alone.  However, what you really need to do is price the deck lower than the surface parking.  This will price the commodity properly by pricing the most sought after commodities (street parking) higher than the less desirable (deck parking).  If you fall into the trap of charging for deck parking while not charging for street parking, you will still have congestion which will cause a perceived lack of parking because everyone will try to park on the street for free first and use the deck as a last resort.  

Update from The Cone Zone

I check the Cone Zone update on the Roswell city website at least once a month to get an update on what is going on with transportation projects around town.  I was really excited to see an update to the upcoming project list this month that gives more detail on the sidewalk improvements that are on tap for the area around the square.  Here's what the site says...

SR 9/Atlanta Street at SR 120/Marietta Highway - This project, slated to begin in January 2012, will make several improvements at the intersection of SR 9 and SR 120 at the Historic Square:  1.  the project will modify the turning radius from SR 9 southbound to SR 120 westbound to prevent large trucks from hitting and damaging the wall at the Historic Square; 2.  the outside receiving lane on SR 120 westbound will be turned into a truck apron to give drivers passive guidance to turn deeper and avoid striking the wall.  In addition, this improvement will force turning traffic to yield rather than allowing unsafe free-flow turning movements; 3.  brick paver sidewalks will be added along the Barrington Hall wall along SR 120 and SR 9 and along the north side of SR 120 to Bulloch Hall connecting to existing sidewalks; 4.  the crosswalks at the intersection will be upgraded to improve pedestrian connectivity in and around the Historic Square; and, 5.  the traffic signals will be placed on mast arm poles (similar to SR 9/Sloan Street) to improve the aesthetics in the Historic Square area.

The addition of sidewalks along 120 down to Bulloch Hall will be excellent along with the sidewalks around Barrington Hall.  The mast arm poles replacing the wired traffic lights should be nice as well.

Now, let's hope that we can encourage some more viable businesses to locate around the square.  

Quote of the Week: Walkability

Walkability is a magnet that attracts and retains highly educated and skilled people and the innovative businesses that employ them. Much more than a faddish amenity, walkability is an ecological imperative, and to an increasing extent, as fuel and time costs continue to climb, a financial one as well.

All of this is leading to something of a convergence across America’s best neighborhoods, a morphing of what we used to think of as suburban versus city life. More and more of our most desirable suburban communities look more like cities, with bustling town centers alive with pedestrian life, while our best city neighborhoods have taken on many of the characteristics we used to see as the province of suburbs: good schools, green spaces, safe streets, and family life.

Richard Florida, excerpted from The Atlantic Cities

Quote of the Week: Craig Voth on Transportation

Cars. There's too many of them.

Craig Voth, Roswell City Council Post 3 Candidate, when asked at the Roswell Candidate forum last week what he thought was Roswell's biggest transportation problem.

I love his answer but personally, I'd rephrase it.  Here's what I'd say:

Subdivisions. There are too many of them and not enough true neighborhoods where people don't have to drive for every trip they need to make.

Friday Factoid: The Costs of Commuting

For each mile you drive across two times on your round trip to work daily, it multiplies to 500 miles per year, or a $170 annual fee.  For each of these miles, you waste about 6 minutes in the round trip, adding to 25 hours per year ($625 of your time).

So each mile you live from work steals $795 per year from you in commuting costs. $795 per year will pay the interest on $15,900 of house borrowed at a 5% interest rate.

In other words, a logical person should be willing to pay about $15,900 more for a house that is one mile closer to work, and $477,000 more for a house that is 30 miles closer to work. For a double-commuting couple, these numbers are $31,800 and $954,000.

from Lifehacker: The True Cost of Commuting

Friday Factiod: Transportation Expenditures

On average, people living in drivable suburban areas spend 24 percent of their annual income on transportation while those living in walkable urban areas spend about 16 percent.

via The Atlantic