2 Circulation
and Accessibility
There should be a peaceful coexistence
between the pedestrian and the car.
Comprehending and feeling comfortable
in the urban environment means that separation
between pedestrian use, driving
lanes, and parking must be easy to see and
interpret. In many developments it will be
important to reassert the priority of the
pedestrian when looking at circulation.Humanizing Our Streets
“Functional streets necessarily involve
both cars and pedestrians. Because cars have
become integral parts of our lives, we have
many specialists with large budgets making
sure that drivers can move to and from their
daily activities. Yet very little attention has
been given to the functional needs of pedestrians
…
Our greatest challenge is humanizing arterial
streets – those fast moving roads that link
our major goods and services. Wide lots and
streets, acres of parking, the absence of sidewalks,
and scattered auto-oriented shopping
all make for a treacherous pedestrian environment.
Addressing this situation may require
changes such as: narrowing the road at intersections;
constructing wide sidewalks along
main streets; adding sidewalks on streets leading
to residential neighborhoods; encouraging
Wide arterial roads are often a “no-man’s zone”
for pedestrians. Providing an adequate buffer strip
and sidewalks can help turn this around, as seen
here along Highway 97 in Kelowna, B.C.
I.WATSON
I.WATSON
commercial uses that serve pedestrians at
major intersections; and changing land uses
between intersections to reduce auto activity.”
From: “Taming the Automobile,” by Richard Untermann,
in PCJ #1 (November/December 1991).
For additional information on designing streets that
work for cars and pedestrians, see Donald Appleyard’s
Livable Streets (Univ. of California Press,
1981), and Richard Untermann’s “Sidewalk Essentials”
in PCJ #27 (Summer 1997