We're Actually Winning

Cars Can Be Civilized

Bike lanes didn't do it. Streeteries did.

A few days ago my wife and I walked to Parc, on Rittenhouse Square, for dinner. It was a beautiful late afternoon, warm and sunny, almost no wind.

We sat on Locust Street near 18th, at one of the open-air tables next to the building's wall, and had a lovely meal. I had a nice view of the park in the late afternoon sun, and Lois had a nice view of the long array of people extending down Locust Street, sitting outside and having a good time.

After a while I noticed something. I had a good view of the intersection at 18th and Locust, right next to the square, and because I do this automatically these days, I had one eye on the moving vehicles. 

And then I had two eyes on. Something had happened to me. I wasn't scared. I looked at the cars and trucks and buses as they rolled up 18th or turned and went down Locust, and I was not intimidated.

All these drivers were proceeding slowly and carefully. The flow of traffic was smooth, and the transit times were clearly not deterring a robust traffic flow.

And I wasn't feeling afraid. I'd been told many times that speed was the crucial factor in taming the traffic, but looking back I don't think I had really believed it until that moment.

I thought of a few improvement opportunities. Switching from gasoline to electricity, for instance. And removing the dumpster from in front of the Curtis Institute. It's just possible that both of these things will happen, each in its own time.

We can actually live with cars in our cities. We just need to tame them.

I have seen the future, and it works.

See also Checking in With Outdoor Dining, The Space-Time Continuum.