Curbing Traffic

The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives

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Chris Bruntlett, Melissa Bruntlett: Curbing Traffic (Paperback, Island Press)

Paperback, 240 pages

English language

Published by Island Press.

ISBN:
978-1-64283-165-8
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3 stars (1 review)

In 2019, mobility experts Melissa and Chris Bruntlett began a new adventure in Delft in the Netherlands. They had packed up their family in Vancouver, BC, and moved to Delft to experience the biking city as residents rather than as visitors. A year earlier they had become unofficial ambassadors for Dutch cities with the publication of their first book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.

In Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives, Melissa and Chris Bruntlett chronicle their experience living in the Netherlands and the benefits that result from treating cars as visitors rather than owners of the road. They weave their personal story with research and interviews with experts and Delft locals to help readers share the experience of living in a city designed for people.

In the planning field, little attention is given to the effects that a “low-car” …

1 edition

Mix of inspiration and fluff

3 stars

Some good ideas in here. I was often skimming more than taking my time as it's a bit repetitive. Highlights:

24: "Dutch police actually do very little traffic enforcement. If too many drivers speed on a street, it is deemed a design failure and sent back to the drawing board." Chapter 2: good ideas on making welcoming residential streets 52-3: the value of having fewer traffic signals on your commute. 109-110: how walks with few cars make it delightful to go to commercial areas. 144: CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic requires bike paths to be direct (max 20% over as-the-crow-flies distance) and bike lanes at least 79" wide, versus NACTO 59". 163-7: Dutch Railways "operates like a national metro system" - I'm so jealous. Also how safe bike routes and abundant bike parking increase train station catchment area. 183: Roundabouts replace pavement with greenspace, mitigating climate change impacts and …