One of the best ways to get people healthy (physically and mentally) and reduce road traffic, is to create walkable communities. There is no point focusing on NHS waiting lists, while also promoting lifestyles where people have to drive to buy food or meet other people.
Bogotá’s former mayor in Colombia ripped up the car budget and used it to build bus lanes, pavements, bike tracks and parks (resulting in 50% reduction in road traffic). It’s also important to install wildlife-friendly lighting to ensure walkable communities are safe for vulnerable people to get around.
An advanced city is not one where even the poor use cars. But rather one where even the rich use public transport. Enrique Peñalosa
Local Shops and Walkable Communities
One big way to help reduce road traffic is for town planners and MPs to focus on walkable communities and independent shops. This is because most supermarkets and retail parks are out-of-town and need cars to reach.
Around 25% of motorway traffic is due to lorries transporting food from central distribution houses to supermarkets.
The Transition Town movement began when co-founder Rob Hopkins (a permaculture gardener) heard then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown lament that we were ‘days away from having no food’ due to lorry strikes.
He knew that we can grow nearly all our own food locally, and now such towns are ‘resilient’ not having to rely on supermarkets, oil prices or lorry transport.
A Cornish delivery company (now no longer in existence) once had a wonderful description of how supermarket produce and lorry delivery works: in a nutshell this is how mad it is:
Your strawberries may be grown locally. Then they are delivered by lorry to a central distribution house (often hundreds of miles away) then sit there (powered by oil-fridges) until read to thunder back (by lorry) and likely past your front door, before landing on supermarket shelves as ‘local strawberries’. This is what causes traffic jams.
Books to Help Create Walkable Cities
The best way to create walkable communities is likely to read these books (and stand as a councillor to implement the ideas). Or campaign for these ideas and give one or more of these titles as ‘birthday books for your councillor or town planner!’
It’s not that they don’t want to create walkable communities, it’s likely they don’t have the knowledge or vision to do so (it would cost less long-term than mending endless pot holes on roads).
Beyond Greenways is a book on how town planners can create better city trails and walking routes. People should be able to walk to their favourite restaurant or set out with a rucksack to the city edges for fresh air and nature.
Despite the benefits of walking, many people don’t simply because there are no safe local places to walk.
Paths should be wide enough for two people to stroll together, and stitch together urban and suburban areas (the Alabama town of Mt Laurel is so well-planned, you can walk from your home to the market, park and fire station).
For green spaces, avoid toxic plants near pets (also don’t plant in railings, where nocturnal wildlife could get trapped). Avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
Inclusive Transportation means communities within walking distance of shops, education and jobs. It’s a fact that the poorest in society end up in ‘food deserts’ (where the ‘local grocery’ is likely a NISA shop selling frozen pizza and not much else).
And those who plan neighbourhoods that end up with pollution and dangerous roads (and the longest-travel-times) to meet daily needs, often don’t live there themselves.
Streetfight is a book by a woman who against big opposition, turned an area of New York City from gridlocked traffic, to a pedestrian paradise. Now it’s an area for walking, cycling, buses and green spaces.
The book is a manifesto for other places to do the same, with practical tips to make streets safer and nicer to live.
Examples include pocket parks in Mexico City and LA, walking-friendly communities in Auckland and Buenos Aires and bike lanes in Indianpolis and San Francisco.
Mixed-Use Developments
One effective approach is the creation of mixed-use developments. These projects combine residential, commercial, and recreational spaces in one area, allowing people to live, work, and play without the need for long-distance travel.
Imagine waking up in a neighbourhood where shops, offices, and parks are just a short walk away. This not only reduces reliance on cars but also fosters a sense of community.
By clustering different types of spaces together, mixed-use developments can significantly decrease traffic volumes. When people can access amenities nearby, they’re less likely to hop in their vehicles for every errand. As a result, urban areas can experience less congestion and improved quality of life.
