Your title is a big lie. “One simple step”?
- Install left gate
- Install right gate
- Add traffic signs
- Add pedestrian icon to street
See, this is at least 4 steps! I call bullshit!
/jk
In all seriousness, this is indeed great. Next step is to remove some of the now unneeded asphalt and replace it with greenery
Bollards?
I definitely prefer bollards since drunk people can barrel their truck through this style of gate but bollards… bollards are going to stop that shit.
It needs a barrier to separate bikes from pedestrians
Naw, people on foot and on bike mix pretty well, it’s the 2±tonne metal cages that ruin cities.
No. Lots of people think pedestrians have to get out of the way of bicyclists.
Additionally, the crashes hurt and people can be killed regardless of the participants, so separation is good.
Yeah if I’m biking on a sidewalk I’m making sure to not bother pedestrians. Bike is a guest there.
the crashes hurt and people can be killed regardless of the participants
Not what I recall from accident stats, assuming Belgium is somehow representative. Bike and pedestrian hardly lead to death, same for bike and bike, only bike and cars did.
I’m obviously not advocating for bikes to go anywhere without respecting others (my own rule of thumb is to be always be more mind of the small or slower people share the space) but I don’t think considering risk regardless of participants is realistic either.
TL;DR: yes I prefer separation whenever possible but there is a big difference between separating car with others.
From what I recall there are some documented deaths due to bicycle/pedestrian collisions. Mostly old people who can’t really afford to eat a faceful of pavement.
The reality is that it’s situational. A 10 m wide street with a peak of maybe 100 people/hour of traffic (like the OP) is not a 2 m wide path with 1000 people/hour of traffic. Segregating traffic in the former is way overkill, in the latter it’s absolutely necessary for public safety. Cyclist/pedestrian conflicts are a real problem that not only causes injuries but also simply makes pedestrians feel unsafe, which is unfair.
Where is this
Paris. OP wrote as comment :
This is on my walk to work. The best thing about pedestrian streets in Paris is they help you avoid the dog shit covered sidewalks.