Cities around the world that are reducing car access

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121193631#Comment_121193631

If anything cheaper fuel, electricity encourages you to use the car more.

Viscount Aggro

The traffic light sequences that are 3 to 5 seconds long.

Thats also driving a lot people out of cars.

Its done on purpose to provoke anger and frustration.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121193760#Comment_121193760

Actually it was done during Covid to favour pedestrians - so that groups wanting to cross did not build up.

But you are right - it does provoke anger and frustration - and breaking red lights.

Zebra3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121191898#Comment_121191898

Why would it be ring fenced?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194213#Comment_121194213

Can't argue its for any specific purpose unless its ring fenced. Might be used for fancy shirts from Paris.

Zebra3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194461#Comment_121194461

Of course nobody can argue that, because like most taxes, it’ll be mainly for general expenditure.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194461#Comment_121194461

Plenty of taxes used to disincentivise behaviours that arent ringfenced.

Excise on alcohol and cigarettes for example, or the co2 based motor taxes

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194752#Comment_121194752

You're reading my comment out of context. The original comment was that the money is used for a specific purpose. I said it's not.

The second part (which is what your referring to ) was using a tax to change behaviour and it did that for diesel. But that's 2008. Makes sense to change it again to drive policy.

what_traffic

Meanwhile over in Singapore.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/04/singapore-cost-car-certificate

"

Singapore has a 10-year “certificate of entitlement” (COE) system, introduced in 1990, to control the number of vehicles in the small city-state, which is home to 5.9 million people and can be driven across in less than an hour.

.

..

...

In 2020, when fewer people in Singapore were driving, the price of COEs dropped to about S$30,000; a post-Covid increase in economic activity has led to more car purchases while the total number of vehicles on the road is capped at about 950,000. The number of new certificates available depends on how many older cars are deregistered.

"

Flinty997

Like taxis used to be.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121193760#Comment_121193760

Any drivers that find themselves getting angry at traffic lights going red shouldn't be behind the wheel.

Where are these 3-5 second long sequences happening please?

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195375#Comment_121195375

At the junction of Ailesbury Road and Merrion Road on Ailesbury Road. At the junction of Sir John Rogerson Quay travelling west at the junction of Cardiff Lane. There are just two.

Plenty more.

magicbastarder

I often see them on the main stretch driving through ballymun. At times the lights go green for less than five seconds. Maybe four cars per lane get through.

Sam Russell

They are all over the place.

The light sequences were changed during Covid to give pedestrians more time - that is shorten the overall cycle time. This was to reduce pedestrians gathering waiting for the lights to change. Of course, it would make more sense to put two periods for pedestrians per cycle.

But when did sense ever come into it?

MJohnston

So, aye, reducing car access to cities then...

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121201057#Comment_121201057

And leaving the city.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121201361#Comment_121201361

There are other ways to access the city. You can access it by car, just slower.

MJohnston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121201361#Comment_121201361

Not exactly on topic though, is what I mean

cgcsb

agreed, the design of cars is fascinating but not the topic of the thread.

Sam Russell

Actually, the operation of traffic light sequences is one of the tools in the box for regulating traffic lights. [Assuming that the compliance is enforced - which here it is not].

The lights can be set to favour buses rather than cars.

Flinty997

If you have a problem with a post report it to the mods.

But it was a mod who introduced it to this thread.

Really any aspects of car use is more less valid in my mind.

Mod: If you have a problem with a post - Report it. If the post is by one of the mods, then another mod will deal with it.

Mods can post, but as a normal poster unless declared as acting as a mod. So, sometimes they might stray over the line, but so do normal posters.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121201815#Comment_121201815

There are already sensors in place at many junctions around Dublin that extend the green light sequence when a bus is detected as approaching.

magicbastarder

Are they visible? I.e. can you tell which junctions have them?

Do they just detect a large vehicle in the bus lane?

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121204646#Comment_121204646

No it’s done electronically. The bus transmits a signal which, if the bus is within a certain distance of the traffic lights will keep the green light lit until the bus has passed through them.

Thelonious Monk

Not sure if this is the right thread but they want to close off a pedestrianised/cycling area to the public because of anti social behaviour, such a regressive step if it happens

https://twitter.com/DublinCommuters/status/1711682110447100000

AlmightyCushion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121217718#Comment_121217718

I live near there and walk through there the whole time. I think you might be mis-reading the tweet, they aren't talking about closing it due to anti-social behaviour. I have never seen any anti-social behavior there at all. Closing it would be a big pain in the hole. Did they give a reason why?

EDIT: In the article it mentions, "with a view to ensuring that our tenants, their children and families are safer, more secure and that road safety levels along the street are greatly improved.". I imagine the road safety levels means people on dirt bikes and quads. I haven't seen that in a while but definitely used to see the odd young fella on them ripping through it so I can see why they are annoyed. The kids doing it lived in the flats that are in the picture and would have sole access to this. So, a few people in those flats can't or won't keep their kids in line so close it off to everyone outside of it.

Thelonious Monk

This counsellor mentioned anti-social behaviour, which is the reason they usually do this kind of thing

https://twitter.com/JanetPHorner/status/1711674588411597124

Flinty997

I'm on the fence about this. Permeability is often mostly an positive for people passing through and a negative to residents. Permeability advocates bare often very dismissive of well researched and known anti social issues.

That said I recognize the positives of permeability.

So I think these things should be trialled then reassessed.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121217718#Comment_121217718

Motion passed!

Citizen Six

😂.

magicbastarder

i assume this would be done by blocking one end of the street entirely?

MJohnston

I hate this. Assuming it's about scramblers/dirt bikes then talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. God forbid anyone in Ireland would try and actually tackle a root cause for once.

Pete_Cavan

Blocking off the route will almost certainly lead to more anti-social behaviour.

Flinty997

Open to correction.

But in the meeting the main issue is the place being over-run with off street parking. The idea being to stop it being used as car park except for residents.

They refer to anti social issues and meetings with Garda. but its not discussed. The gates are connected to the parking somehow.

Sam Russell

Surely, parking is easily dealt with by either Gardai or clampers.

AlmightyCushion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121220246#Comment_121220246

If they are talking about the area that is paved then I don't see how there is illegal parking in there. There are bollards either side blocking it off. I don't think I have ever seen anything parked in there and I have been living in the area for years and I'm always walking through it. There is definitely a problem with illegal parking int he area in general but not in there.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121220335#Comment_121220335

Sounds like a long standing issue thats been a problem for years.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121220356#Comment_121220356

That's all they seem to talk about in the linked meeting where its passed. I got the impression its a safety issue. I assume people are being obnoxious when it comes to parking and/or its the volume.

AlmightyCushion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121220406#Comment_121220406

But you can't park in there. Check it out on google maps. There are bollards either end of it. You can't get a car in there. I can't remember the last time I seen a bike locked up there so it can't be that either. Like I say there is a huge problem with illegal parking in the area in general but not in there.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121220447#Comment_121220447

From the map it looks like the road isn't just the bit between the bollards.

JohnC.

Is the parking area reserved for residents, or is it general parking anyone can use? If it's the former, there may be a point. If the latter, not so much.

[edit]

Google does show a "Residents Parking Only" sign at the entrance. So there is apparently a lack of enforcement. Seems more of a car park dispute than "cities reducing car access".

JohnC.

Not a ban on all cars, but Stockholm is to ban all petrol and diesel cars from a 20 block central area from the end of next year. They say it's the first step and it will expand later.

https://www.thejournal.ie/poll-stockholm-petrol-6192687-Oct2023/

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121221913#Comment_121221913

Yeah, it's residents and guests parking only, and run by Apcoa. They seem to operate pretty ruthlessly in other car parks they run.

Plenty of illegal parking nearby though.

Sam Russell

The laziness of delivery drivers and taxis is just unbelievable. They park on pavements and double yellows when there is vacant legal parking on the other side of the street.

Enforcement should be stepped up. Whatever happened to the traffic wardens?

cgcsb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121223471#Comment_121223471

I regularly see this when there are legitimate aces to stop under 10 metres away. Even 5 seconds of walking is considered intolerable.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121223581#Comment_121223581

I heard of a cop stopping a speeding car on the M4 in the English west country near Swindon travelling towards London. He got the driver to stand on the central reservation and asked him to watch the traffic and tell if he recognised any vehicles. It did not take him long to see all the vehicles he had sped past at great speed - not long at all. The cop kept him there long enough so that he had lost several times the amount he had gained from speeding. Lesson learnt.

Enforcement is the answer. Whatever happened to the traffic wardens?

cgcsb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121223658#Comment_121223658

I don't think I've ever seen a traffic warden

Seth Brundle

It has been a long time since I saw a traffic warden. Most local authorities seem to have outsourced the parking charge enforcement part of the job to the likes of Apcoa.

MJohnston

I don't think we have wardens in DCC parking areas anymore because clamping is the first and only resort.

Which means that absolutely nobody takes any responsibility for parking offences outside of non-payment of fees.

magicbastarder

many years ago i parked on shelbourne road, but did not spot that it was a clearway after 4. got delayed, came out at half four, and the car was gone. i got lucky - i spotted it about 100m away, clamped.

i was told as the clamp was being released that i was lucky, i think it was that if there is not a spare legitimate spot visible from where my car was lifted, it'd have been taken to the pound instead.