Many European cities, and a modest number of North American ones, have pedestrian zones in their centers. Europe does it better, and those areas are lively places, full of people and energy, especially in summer, and even after most of the shops on the streets are closed. Most eating places have their tables outdoors, extending to sidewalks, streets, and squares, and it’s general to see a place to eat that has an hour’s wait for a table outside but is empty inside.
It’s wonderful, and several North American cities have even tried to diversify Covid, though many have scaled back their measures, in part due to calls from merchants on those streets who fear they’ve lost vehicle traffic. The State Street Promenade, located 10 blocks away in Santa Barbara, is under pressure to repair vehicle traffic, and motorcycle lanes have come and gone. The United States has not been able to reflect what Europe has done.
Even Europe is in debate. Part of Lyon has been a pedestrian zone, but a new call to convert the entire city center is opposed by the assembly. Strasbourg, which declares itself the “Christmas Capital”, closes the entire city center to cars for a month, although it also has gigantic pedestrian areas the rest of the year. The key is to get a critical mass of people who maintain power. It’s unexpected that many cities keep them on their main streets even after almost all businesses are closed, and strange that those stores remain closed while large crowds pass by.
Except for the narrowest streets, European pedestrian zones are not closed to cars. Almost all open for local and deliveries after the afternoon and other times. Many are “limited traffic zones” where only certain cars are allowed, such as those of domain citizens and hotel guests. They may have several cars, but they move slowly and much less than if they were wide open. There are also many cars parked on the streets, because in those older spaces there are many parking spaces unless they are underground.
Of course, there is public transport and trams are added, often added intentionally, as in Bern, to provide safe mobility. And in cities with greater density, there are also more people close to the center on foot or by bicycle. Transport systems are designed to concentrate on the city center or central station, making it possible to transfer many other people to the pedestrian zone. However, it is interesting to note that, for a large part of the population, cars are the same way that other people outside the center of the pedestrian domain used to enter and be pedestrians there. A bustling pedestrian center depends on a critical mass of people: this is the opposite of popular automobile traffic where drivers must avoid traffic jams; Pedestrians, being sociable, look for where the (almost unlimited) crowds are.
For merchants concerned about wasting drive-through access, newer cities may follow models like Mountain View, California. Mountain View (Google headquarters) is a natural expansion of California, but it has a successful small pedestrian mall in the city center after Covid. Contributing to this is the fact that car traffic is heading to side streets, but there are parking lots and paths through the advertising buildings so that everything is available smoothly for cars and pedestrians.
Robocars offer a number of attractive tactics to help the pedestrian core. Robotaxis are a great option for those coming by car as they don’t want to park, which can eliminate many of the permitted cars parking on those streets. They may also allow access to other people with disabilities, even just those of a similar age. They are also ideal for deliveries, as they allow the use of small delivery robots that require less space and do not want to pass quickly. Today, with Driverless, delivery trucks are getting bigger: a giant load can easily be transported in several smaller delivery robots without the need for more humans. Robot cars without humans on board do not hesitate to wait to obstruct pedestrian traffic.
They are also suitable for hotel guests. I like to stay in hotels in the city center, which requires walking with my bags from a parking lot. This makes the situation very uncomfortable if you have extra luggage or if you have to go back to your car to retrieve anything you may have forgotten.
Limited traffic zones are actually an important way to charge for congestion (and some only apply at certain times). Smart dispatch and robo-taxis allow for even more complex counting forms, and even the ability to dynamically control the number of vehicles entering the center. or pedestrian domains, and control this based not only on car traffic, but also on foot traffic. The purpose of a walkable core is to reach a critical mass of people to keep it vibrant. It becomes possible to slow down cars. , taxis, and deliveries as foot traffic becomes heavier, or for commuters to organize themselves in cars. The value can also be reduced to ensure that the core has the critical mass of pedestrians necessary for the domain to thrive. The prospects for expansion, and even lively European-style walkable urban centers may prove bright in the future, even in the United States.
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