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laterbacon t1_ius1nfs wrote

Reply to comment by Old_Wishbone3773 in The entrance and exit of Trader Joe's. Looks like trouble. by tads73

Over 20% of Providence residents don't own a car (21.7% according to the latest numbers which are 7 years old at this point).

Nobody is trying to ban cars. Providing alternatives to driving in a city that demands it is something this city has been behind the curve on for far too long.

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Old_Wishbone3773 t1_ius1xy9 wrote

Never said banning, but all across the city are a bunch of projects that make drivers,driving, cars not a priority

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laterbacon t1_ius31m6 wrote

Because they're not a priority. Cars make cities a hostile place to exist for the people that live there. You want a place made for cars? Foxboro is right up the road with Trader Joe's and all the acres of parking you could hope for.

Providence was laid out long before cars, and cars have damaged the fabric of the city irrevocably, most notably Routes 95 & 10. A city of Providence's size should have a robust, reliable, frequent transit network. Take a look at Bilbao in Spain for a similarly sized metro area that does it right (https://www.bizkaiatalent.eus/en/pais-vasco-te-espera/conocenos/transporte-publico-estado/). Decades of car-first thinking have to be reversed and I for one am encouraged with what Providence is doing for the most part.

Some people are always going to drive, and that's fine. But there are plenty of other people who would walk or bike if they felt safe enough, or would take transit if it actually provided usable service.

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Old_Wishbone3773 t1_ius538w wrote

>Providence was laid out long before cars, and cars have damaged the fabric of the city irrevocably,

That's why Chicago's road grid is so organized compared to Boston or providence. The roads were built afterwards.

I'm not saying cars are not a priority, but bikes are not either. And there is a group of people who are clearly bike advocates who will not take no for an answer. Bikes in rhode island and new England in general, is a perennial issue.

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laterbacon t1_ius5jtw wrote

What in particular is your gripe with bikes? I don't own a car and my bike is my primary mode of transport. I can't understand how providing alternatives to driving is a bad thing.

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Old_Wishbone3773 t1_ius6wlj wrote

I love my bike. I ride recreational and for health. I think it is great the progression and evolution of bike culture blending into society, transportation. What I don't like are the nasty, forceful, progressive types that are pushing their agenda and not willing to except facts and or others differing opinion.

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laterbacon t1_ius7e75 wrote

What is the differing opinion though? That people shouldn't be able to use bikes for non-recreational purposes? Not trying to be a jerk but it seems like you're the one pushing the pro-car agenda with little to back it up except anger.

I love taking my kid to school on my bike instead of the car. Riding to the grocery store is refreshing instead of infuriating. Having protected paths to do those things on makes my life so much better. Everything for the past 100 or so years has been built around cars. Building infrastructure for other modes is not an attack on cars.

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Old_Wishbone3773 t1_ius8w26 wrote

My gripe is towards the group.. because unfortunately we are not living like in The Sims, where you can pick up and drop objects and push things around.. for example, the bike path advocates on hope st completely ignored the relevant criticism of the path and loss of nearly 100 parking spaces... the cars, if are able to park are going to park through the neighborhood hoods, 'who cares' the group says, well some of the neighbors do and they have a right to being heard.. and again, this is a perennial issue, so making permanent infrastructure for bike users for a few months a year is a hefty cost and headache for people, who, in large numbers, don't ride bikes at all..

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laterbacon t1_iusa6ow wrote

Nobody ignored the criticism, but the loss of parking is not a valid criticism.

It's proven time and time again the bike lanes are good for business despite the pearl clutching fears of drivers and business owners.

https://www.cambridgebikesafety.org/2021/09/22/bike-lanes-and-local-business-the-economic-impact/

The thing most fail to realize is that accommodating bikes converts some drivers into cyclists, making less demand for parking in the first place.

And before you say "what about the weather" that link up there has numbers from Toronto, Cambridge, and NYC

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laterbacon t1_ius5r94 wrote

> That's why Chicago's road grid is so organized compared to Boston or providence. The roads were built afterwards.

Ah yes that's why driving in Chicago is notoriously pleasant and trouble free

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