Quote:
Originally Posted by lbird
The roads not being plowed don't affect you as a biker? Can you explain that a bit more? How do you bike through a six foot snow drift? This is one of the worst cities for walking/biking, it's too flipping cold and snowy. Cars are warm and convenient, and the city is small enough so it's easy to get everywhere in one. I'm speaking as someone who walks to work, but also uses my car(s) a fair bit. I would never give them up while living in this city or one with a similar climate.
Whats-her-name in the Star Phoenix had a great article - posted on this site - about people applying external development ideologies to this city without thinking how they fit in to the climate and culture. To me, the bike-everywhere, walk-everywhere mania doesn't make any sense in this climate. Warm indoor shopping malls and cars make sense in this city, no matter how many snarky articles you read in the New York Times about their existence.
|
I'm sorry Ibird but this just comes across as uninnovative and uninspired, look at cities like stockholm, helsinki, copenhagen etc. They have worse climates then us and still have very high bike usage, pedestrian traffic and public transit usage. What needs to be down is developing a system which is convenient and comfortable for people. Everyone really should watch Living City: A critical guide. Our cities very survival is dependent on the development of public transit and reinvesting into the public realm. Vehicles displace people from the city and from eachother and only widen social gaps, while transit, cycling and walking bring people together and help them rediscover eachother and their community. This is what is integral to a vibrant centre. Cars are never the answer. They just pollute, and demand wasteful infrastructure which only hampers development in the long run.
Threaded Mode