I am working on a response to this letter to the Editor posted in the October 2011 ITE Journal. This article doesn't help improve the perspective that engineers just want to move cars.
To place all Amercian cities (or more to the point, streets) in the same class of homogeneous urban places is damaging. The new millennium has resulted in increased awareness that reducing trip distances is as important an initiative as any that a transportation professional should be engaged in to insure the sustainability of our communities and the vitality of our urban areas. These efforts are placing increasing importance on cycling trips where relatively short trips reduce the need for speed and make accessibility a priority.
UPDATE: Bikeportland.org linked to this
debate between Pucher and Forester that is worth considering.
To place all Amercian cities (or more to the point, streets) in the same class of homogeneous urban places is damaging. The new millennium has resulted in increased awareness that reducing trip distances is as important an initiative as any that a transportation professional should be engaged in to insure the sustainability of our communities and the vitality of our urban areas. These efforts are placing increasing importance on cycling trips where relatively short trips reduce the need for speed and make accessibility a priority. 
2 comments:
This man speaks dangerous nonsense. He makes assertions, but doesn't supply evidence for them. He writes in the typical manner of someone who isn't actually very intelligent-using made up words to sound authorative, but instead comes across as an obsessive, misguided dinosaur. There is a whole nation of evidence in the Netherlands, not only in old cities, but new towns too. This man needs to be shown up for the scumbag that he is. Only interested in selling crappy books and 'expertise' for money whilst advocating policies that are proven to cost lives.
What's most intriguing is that in discussing Germany, he mentions that the bikeways are probably not as good. So clearly, the issue isn't bikeways, it's the quality of those bikeways. High time for him to get off his high horse (high wheeler?) and encourage the development of good bikeways.
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