"Pedestrians Slow Cars Down:" Why So Few Walk in Miami

[marmar]

http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/transportation-nation/2013/may/08/pedestrians-slow-cars-down-why-so-few-walk-miami/


"It has the feel of an action movie to it and one you’re definitely not starring in." That's how WLRN's Nathaniel Sandler describes crossing the street in South Florida in a report on why state roads there are so unfriendly to pedestrians.

Sandler writes:

What you might not know is that most of the streets that are a nightmare for pedestrians are all maintained and operated by the State of Florida.

“The state (of Florida) doesn’t use context,” says Craig Chester, contributor to Transit Miami, “they use a standard and a manual, and they are limiting economic potential and walkability.”

Tony Garcia, chairman of the board at the Green Mobility Network goes on to say, “State roads are not designed for pedestrians because pedestrians slow cars down.”

Then he goes on to describe how a walkable neighborhoods are proving popular, even where they also come with higher crime. Changing the culture of road design in Miami though will mean changing the collective consciousness, and maybe car culture itself.