• 54 Posts
  • 454 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
cake
Cake day: June 20th, 2023

help-circle


  • I agree, these two stroads actually seem to want to be roads and not streets.

    The simple truth is roadway classifications in North America need a overhaul. Most people can’t list the difference between a street or a road. Then comes the unfortunate issue when a proper road is proposed most think it’s actually a highway (though most road proposals do seem to be over engineered in design and borderline look like Hwys).

    Streets are destinations, they are low speed 20-40kpm with many places for pedestrians to cross and walk, there are driveways and intersections. Homes and businesses face streets. Street parking is common. In some cases vehicle travel is restricted. Streets are multi-use for all modes of transportation, this includes walking and cycling. Lanes of traffic should not exceed two lanes.

    Images of streets 1000029408

    1000029409

    Roads are throughways. They have a higher speed between 50-80kpm with reduced conflict zones between vehicles traffic and pedestrian traffic. Roads don’t have driveways and signalized intersections are not used, roundabouts and on/off ramps are used. Homes and businesses do not face roads, there is not street parking on roads. Roads act as a slower speed hwy. Roads generally have center mediums such as grass or curbs. Lanes of traffic should not exceed three lanes.

    Images of roads: 1000029407

    1000029405

    In terms of roadway designs streets should only connect with roads and roads should only connect with Hwys. The connection and transition needs to be gradual with clear destination. For example a hwy interchange should not empty into a street.


  • A reduction in speed is a great first start, but it needs to be followed by a dedicated desire for total and systematic roadway redesign. For one the current design is neither a street or a road, it’s design as something in between called a “strode”.

    Lanes widths and counts need to be reduced. Center medians added, raised pedestrian crosswalks to prevent hard right or left turns. Removal of dedicated left or right turn lanes to minimize pedestrain crossing distances at intersections. Tree canopys added to act as traffic calming. Transit corridors moved off the street and into a separate and dedicated route with priority signals.

    Once you start to get older and your mobility decreases, or you loose the ability to drive yourself around, you start to notice how North American suburbs are not friendly towards the elderly, or the young for that matter. Places we live in should be enjoyable to walk, cycle and move around independently.