Absolutely love this video! Thanks so much for collaborating with us. We really learned a lot from your expertise! 🚲🚶🚦

@CityBeautiful

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Go check out their video right here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/hoyWt86KabzQm5c.html

@rhietpas

3 жыл бұрын

I thought it was funny you both showed up in my subscription feed at the same time with same subject!

@pbilk

3 жыл бұрын

@@rhietpas haha! Yeah.

@Gid-J

2 жыл бұрын

Curb extensions are horrible. Turning lanes reduce traffic and the amount of cars on the road. Studies have shown that a separate lane for turning right on red reduces accidents when compared to curb extensions.

"Raised crosswalks take crosswalks to the next level." Yes we could all hear the smirk and the wink when you said that.

@MiCnWww

3 жыл бұрын

Raised sidewalk is akin to the royal treatment

@lemonade4181

3 жыл бұрын

Yes. Curb ramps are just expected and standard (at least here in Canada) raised crosswalks should absolutely be installed in areas without curb ramps.

@earthsteward9

3 жыл бұрын

He's punny

@edwardmiessner6502

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely! The whole intersection should be raised to calm the traffic not just provide a proper handicapped pedestrian crosswalk

@petervan1353

3 жыл бұрын

@@lemonade4181 another positive thing about doing this it slows down cars because it also acts as a speed bump (You see it a lot in the Netherlands)

I see you strollin'.

@jaysinister7

3 жыл бұрын

There totally needs to be a Mr. Beat and City Beautiful collab. What would it be though, I have no clue. But I love both of your channels tho.

@lik7953

3 жыл бұрын

@@jaysinister7 I feel like there has been already if I’m not mistaken

@fiverZ

3 жыл бұрын

You know there's no [.] in Mr, right?

@haroldinho9930

3 жыл бұрын

@@fiverZ what????

@CortexNewsService

3 жыл бұрын

I love it when my favorite KZreadrs interact

Funny that you mention how helpful seating is, when it seems like so many cities are making seating worse in order to inconvenience homeless people. Maybe you should do a video on “evil design.”

@nothereandthereanywhere

3 жыл бұрын

You can look at the part 3:10, the arm in the middle are usually anti-homeless feature. This was built in the town I live in, the backslash was huge.

@theductductgoose

2 жыл бұрын

@@nothereandthereanywhere I was coming to the comments to see if anyone mentioned this. Arms on only the sides accommodate people who need them just fine, the one in the middle is purely anti-homeless disguised as accessibility. Essentially scapegoating those with disabilities.

@Kenionatus

2 жыл бұрын

Here's a video from a game design channel about exactly this practice: kzread.info/dash/bejne/gIuOrqRxc9y2krA.html

@bird2034

2 жыл бұрын

It’s also referred to as “hostile architecture” if you’re looking for more information on it

@DarkestDeeds

2 жыл бұрын

I live in a city where you can't sit on the benches in most parks because someone is usually sleeping on it or has all of their stuff on it. Our homeless population is massive.

Accessibility really benefits to society as a whole. Curb-ramps help people with suitcase and large deliveries on dolly too. Not just people with disabilities or strollers. Crosswalk audible walk indicator helps us smartphone addicts. On web designs, ARIA-labeling for screen reader works as search engine optimization.

@VincentGonzalezVeg

3 жыл бұрын

My knees aren't happy with bending off a bike, like Im looking for an internal cab height for a car that needs the least amount of bending The kneecaps jump out the socket So I'm looking for a wheelchair & crutches We need sidewalks people can sigh conversation, if they're not def - it being loud or enjoying the nature sounds

@saadmalik8384

3 жыл бұрын

Wow I did not expect to hear about aria labeling here lmao

@karlhenke91

3 жыл бұрын

In Anchorage, AK, the overwhelming majority of walk signal countdowns are tied to the stoplight, meaning when the countdown reaches zero, the light always turns yellow. They are incredibly useful to drivers, especially on streets that frequently have ice on them. Driving in cities without this feature is much harder for me.

@maknyc1539

3 жыл бұрын

whats aria labeling

@Jenny-tm3cm

2 жыл бұрын

Two things I love, HTML and making things accessible to everyone (:

The bench at 3:15 with the man with the phone is actually an example of hostile architecture. Those middle arm rests are there so homeless people can't sleep on that bench.

@HarryLovesRuth

3 жыл бұрын

Someone else mentioned that earlier. I'm copy/pasting my comment to them. -------- That's one of those conflict points where people often use the needs of one group to harm another. I tend to think the best compromise is arms at the ends of benches so that those who need an arm for assistance as they rise are able to use it, but no arms mid-bench so that those who need to lie down (or perhaps lay down a baby to change a diaper) can still use the whole bench.)

@kenbrown2808

3 жыл бұрын

@@HarryLovesRuth better to have infrastructure where people who need to lie down can have a safe space, but that is probably the most difficult thing to implement.

@HarryLovesRuth

3 жыл бұрын

@@kenbrown2808 Only having a bench that has no arms available makes it rising from the bench difficult for those with strength and balance issues, as the video explains. That's why I think a bench that has arms at the ENDS ONLY is a good compromise. The center arms are definitely hostile architecture. I've gotten several responses to both places I've made this comment where people pass over what my actual point is. It is incredibly common for the conflicting needs of two groups to be used to exclude one group and scapegoat the other. One of the dirty secrets of universal design is that there is no true universal best practice. The thing that helps me may hinder someone else. Representatives from as many groups as possible should be included in creating design standards and those facilitating should make every effort to find compromises that will work for both groups.

@kenbrown2808

3 жыл бұрын

@@HarryLovesRuth right, and so many people promising to solve problems are really only proposing ways to disadvantage somebody else. the best solution to the "hostile furniture" situation is to make it so people don't NEED to sleep on benches.

@kirkrotger9208

2 жыл бұрын

Eh, I give benches like that a pass. There's plenty of room for a person to fit underneath those armrests. It's different if they armrests are designed so that's not possible.

Here's the main problem I see with this, in order for you to be "worthy" of infrastructure in the United States, you have to be seen as human. To many, this excludes disabled and elderly people, which is absolutely awful, but it's just the reality of trying to do infrastructure projects in many neighborhoods, especially local ones. We spend a lot of money creating infrastructure that lets us ignore problems, rather than face them.

@LisaBeergutHolst

3 жыл бұрын

See also: the poor.

@aespa690

3 жыл бұрын

hahahahaha

@angelikaskoroszyn8495

3 жыл бұрын

It's like the benches designed so homeless (and honestly all) people can't use them. Instead of trying to solve the issue it's easier to hide it and pretend it doesn't exist. After all any minority has wear vote force

@prado1205

3 жыл бұрын

@@angelikaskoroszyn8495 brush poverty under the rug

@cookieridergirl

2 жыл бұрын

I feel cars are placed above humans which is even more pathetic. The whole country is designed to travel by car. I rather not have a car but I’m feeling forced to get one because I simple can’t travel easily by walking and public transport. Public transport in a small city is just abysmal. Everything to spread out to simple walk or ride a bike. And there aren’t always sidewalks. So yea. Forget humans. It safer and more convenient to be in a car in this country than to live, breath, and walk like an actually human.

Seattle has been experimenting with pedestrian-centric streets lately, and I'm appreciating it. It was originally a response to the pandemic where they designated certain streets as "Stay Healthy Streets," closing the street to through traffic, so you could only drive there if you were going somewhere on that specific street. The intention was that you could walk through the city without getting too close to other people. However, people liked the concept, and the streets remain closed to through traffic even as Seattle opens back up.

@kelaarin

3 жыл бұрын

How's that working for the businesses, though?

@markb6978

3 жыл бұрын

@@kelaarin I don’t know about Seattle specifically, but generally the effect of increased walkability on local businesses is pretty spectacular.

@kelaarin

3 жыл бұрын

@@markb6978 Depends on the type and size of the businesses, though. Small businesses can do well, but they don't contribute nearly as much to the city. Not working in Seattle - a large number of them are leaving due to other circumstances.

@llamamem

3 жыл бұрын

The pandemic sucks, but it’s been good for urban transformation in many cities. Lost of new experiments happening!

@kelaarin

2 жыл бұрын

@@runswithraptors Then why are cities BEGGING large businesses to put up monster warehouses, factories, and distribution centers? Because they get far more in taxes that way.

Thank you so much for mentioning autistic & ND people. Often we get left out of disability discussions because our disability is literally invisible. Loved the video keep it up!

@bethanygreenwood8655

2 жыл бұрын

This!!

We actually had someone on our Nextdoor who is blind-deaf asking homeowners to trim their plants growing over a sidewalk.

@anilaurel

3 жыл бұрын

Sprinklers left over sidewalks too. It means electric chairs/scooters can't pass by

@pendlera2959

3 жыл бұрын

@@anilaurel Not to mention anyone who just doesn't want to get wet.

@Distress.

3 жыл бұрын

I have aneighbor who has Bush growing in the middle of the sidewalk jutting out in a staight line. It's so ridiculous I find it fascinating

@joshuakhaos4451

3 жыл бұрын

People just dont tale care of their properties anymore. The street I grew up on use to be very nice during the 2000s, but now has ruined lawns and homes that look run down and faded. All this happened in the last 10 years only. In the 17 years I lived there, there were 2 homes originally that the owners never cared for. but all the others were nice looking. But in the last 10 years, that number has grown and become how most of the street looks. It got so bad with some neighbors that one of my friends parents across the street put up a fence after like 20 years of them living there. They couldnt handle the new kids hanging around on their back porch when they had no permission and or looking at the neighbor next to them let his lawn and house get worse and worse.

@maknyc1539

3 жыл бұрын

@@joshuakhaos4451 ok

Speaking of strollers and the like . . . Years ago (in the 1970s), I used a dolly to carry some heavy books from my office in the US Courthouse in downtown Sacramento to a State consumer agency. I got to the building after a difficult walk with no curb cuts and faced stairs that I could not climb with the dolly. I found that the entrance I had to use was the loading dock at the rear of the building. I was a bit upset (read: furious) because I realized that persons in wheelchairs would be treated like cargo instead of people. I'm glad that we're finally making some progress. Thanks for the discussion.

@kaitlyn__L

2 жыл бұрын

Sadly having to use the rear trade delivery entrance is still all too common, even in buildings built long after the DDA (the UK’s ADA) was passed! Far too many new builds have stairs up to the entrance for no reason!

@Zeyev

2 жыл бұрын

@@kaitlyn__L How sad that both of our countries can't figure out how to treat all people as if they're important. I hope we continue to improve.

@kaitlyn__L

2 жыл бұрын

@@Zeyev indeed! Every time I’ve experienced it the staff have been apologetic and given me freebies or money off, but it was still humiliating to have to use the deliveries/fire exit each time (especially as it’s often only barely wide enough for my chair but not wide enough to push normally!) The regulations clearly need to specify THE entrance rather than AN entrance having level access. Like, it’s one thing to have 3 actual entrances for customers and only one is level access… it’s annoying to go round to the other one, but it’s not humiliating. But it’s another thing entirely when there’s only one official customer entrance!

Here in Australia, curb ramps are at practically every street with a side walk - including neighborhoods. They are super useful for everyone - dragging a suitcase, riding a bike, etc.

@Deckzwabber

2 жыл бұрын

I hope that one day you won't have to ride your bike on the sidewalk any more

@sangle120

2 жыл бұрын

Sadly not everywhere, particularly in regional areas but I can even recall coming across this issue with a bike loaded up with kids in Canberra where there was no gutter ramps and the rig was not equipped for jumping a gutter!

@sangle120

2 жыл бұрын

@@Deckzwabber even worse is that in much of Australia it is also illegal to ride on footpaths so where I live (NSW) even if its the only safe option I have and there's no pedestrians around unless I have a kid with me on their own bike my understanding is that I could be fined (but I will still ride on the path being mindful to be very courteous if I do feel it is the only safe option).

@sebastianjoseph2828

Жыл бұрын

I live in MD near DC and it's pretty hard to find a sidewalk that doesn't have a curb ramp (though admittedly there are several roads that need a sidewalk but have none). I can imagine other communities are worse though. Anecdotal, but my wheelchair using friend went to Lisbon for a conference and was surprised that he needed to plan out routes that had curb cuts. It's not as common there.

Here in Brazil it's so hard to convince people how important and how good these little things are, we almost have no exemples to show and when we tell them about other countries (Europe, North America and Asia) the same excuses shows up, "This things doesn't work here" and stuff like that. I love this topic and im trying to create content about mobility and urban planning but here we have a long way up.

@idromano

3 жыл бұрын

It's exactly like this. It was only in the recent months when I started to learn about the Global Street Design Guide that I noticed how shitty & small sidewalks in Rio's ZN and ZS are.

@Emot10ns

2 жыл бұрын

Bro north america doesn't have this at all. We're doing the same thing talking about Europe and Asia

@LilyFengari

2 жыл бұрын

@@Emot10ns Depends on where you're talking about in North America. Some cities/local governments and states aren't doing anything like this and others have really embraced it. Its definitely a factor of where you live

@belliaxen

Жыл бұрын

É foda. Brasil não possui planejamento de nada.

I hate my local intersection. Cars honk even when they have a red and I have priority. It's honestly annoying because 1. I refuse to run across a street, especially in Iowa where they have potholes, gaps, and cracks and 2. I have the right of way. :/ I get VERY overwhelmed sometimes walking, as I live near an airport and highway, so sometimes the sounds make it hard to see if that makes sense. So I normally wear headphones. I HATE having people honk because I stop and look around first, then they honk more. I personally think everyone should have to take pedestrian and bike safety classes as drivers, because THEY'RE the ones that can hurt us...

@LisaBeergutHolst

3 жыл бұрын

Something about getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle seems to shut off the relational part of the brain lol

@KRYMauL

3 жыл бұрын

You do take pedestrian and bike safety classes it's called red asphalt and everyone falls asleep during it or forgets the moment they get their license.

@blondemario

3 жыл бұрын

This guy has a fantastic video on the histroy of "Right of Way"! Also useful if you want to learn of the origins in " It's getting like Piccadilly Circus ".

@MiCnWww

3 жыл бұрын

The car drivers think pedestrians are intruding on the car’s right of way because the road design prioritizes for the car. That’s why universal design is important.

@dinahmyte3749

3 жыл бұрын

@@MiCnWww It certainly doesn't help that it's 4 lanes at the end of/start of a hill and they only give me 15 seconds to make it across... :/ It's a badly designed intersection right before a major bus hub...

The main thing about these shared streets we got in Europe is that they're not car centric, they're tight and may not have sidewalks or raised sidewalks with a small gutter and maybe pillards separating it from the street

@CzornyLisek

3 жыл бұрын

Streets in Europe might not be as wide but they actually have usually bigger turning radi While in US You can even find corners without any radius. Also those with curb extension actually have bigger radius compared to "normal" ones Bigger radius = higher speed And hell even rly wide streets can be fully shared. It's more about making it painfully obvious it's shared street than how wide it is

@Romain_69420

3 жыл бұрын

@@CzornyLisek It's not all about width, as I said streets especially in downtowns are aften only one lane with no parking spaces and no sidewalks, you are level with the car traffic, the speed of high radius corners is balanced by the 2m wide lanes (about 7ft) which is way less than American roads. In downtowns most roads are also one way which creates a maze of tight roads snaking between houses which restricts véhicule use as it's inconvenient to navigate

@CzornyLisek

3 жыл бұрын

@@Romain_69420 Dunno about which part of Europe You're talking about But at least where I'm 2m would be below absolute minimum for smallest streets, well lane let alone whole street Also if talking about old towns or other places that had roads before modern standards, well they are old nobody gonna move buildings around to make road up to modern standards. Tho if You would look like something like Japan where they don't rly give a damn about preservation. They are in process of widening those stupidly narrow roads for quite simple reason of they can't fit normal fire engine nor ambulance. And as such they can't be much more than glorified taxis for fireman and patients.

@Romain_69420

3 жыл бұрын

@@CzornyLisek yeah I'm talking about old streets because new developments are built in an American style with wider streets connecting single Familly homes and commercial districts built in warehouses,. The concept of shared streets he's alluding to in the video is mostly present in historic and packed downtowns where a regular street wouldn't make sense. I'm talking about France btw and yes 2m is the absolute minimum but you can still fit a van or a fire engine through cause they're built on regular truck platforms

@CzornyLisek

3 жыл бұрын

@@Romain_69420 That ain't American style. That's simply there is geometry of full size emergency and maintance vehicles as well buses and there is how big road as such needs to be. In US roads are so stupidly wide in suburbs and what not, well to begin with not in all of them and it's no longer standard. Tho yeah how those stereotype stupidly wide suburbs roads got to be? Well simply at that time in US there was consensus that it's safe to leave space between lane and sidewalk in case of emergencies. And well it works as such You can see it even in Europe, it's just was not mandated to such extremes. The problem as it was later learned people simply speed like crazy on those roads and it decrease walkability as well make heat island effect worse. So now US is decreasing those suburbs roads to what's pretty much norm in Europe in new developments while Japanese are increasing widths to more less same standard. Nice example of converging design.

As someone who is blind I'm glad you did this topic. People don't always think about us blind people when designing most cities.

@mike7546

2 жыл бұрын

Wait, how do you comment or does someone else comment for you?

@albinoguidedog

2 жыл бұрын

@@mike7546 I'm blind, not stupid. Us blind people can type and comment just fine without help.

@mike7546

2 жыл бұрын

​@@albinoguidedog nvm, i really hate it when people are so easily offended, i was asking a real question, and you didnt even answer it

@albinoguidedog

2 жыл бұрын

@@mike7546 I'm not offended. You need to calm down. I have a large phone so that I can see what I am typing.

@JulieWallis1963

2 жыл бұрын

@@mike7546 you and I had the same thought. Shame you was ridiculed for asking a perfectly nice question! It’s weird how disabled folk want to be accepted and treated ‘normal’ yet are happy to be rude when treated very normally. Our blind friend may not be very polite (or very blind apparently) but at least he’s as shitty as every other troll online.

The perfect street should also have designated spaces for cyclists unless cars are traveling at really slow speeds. In stead of having the curb come out into the intersection you van also opt for making a centre island so cyclists and people walking only have to cross and deal with traffic one way at a time and giving them a breather in the middle of the street. Last roundabouts are a great way to increase throughput while also slowing down traffic making it safer for pedestrians cyclists and motorists.

@KRYMauL

3 жыл бұрын

The best streets I have seen are in Barcelona, but another even better one would have multiple types of transportation. Pedestrians on the sidewalks next to the shops, cars pushed away from the curbs that are protected by parking or bus lanes, and a median that has trams and bikes.

@coreypowers2988

3 жыл бұрын

I agree with this mostly but better to have the sidewalk come into the intersection than have an island/refuge in the middle. It exerts it more as a pedestrian space and is more comfortable for peds. Also, roundabouts are almost never great for peds. Great for vehicular traffic flow but they require space and make peds walk longer distances to cross a street

@KRYMauL

3 жыл бұрын

@@coreypowers2988 I understand this, but with the Barca way you have the modes of traffic not intersecting. I did add buses, but really I don’t know what was supposed to be on the curbs because I was there during a Winter Internship.

@coreypowers2988

3 жыл бұрын

@@KRYMauL oh no I agree with you 100%, My comment was replying to the the other person

@kenbrown2808

3 жыл бұрын

people driving long vehicles, like buses, hate bulbouts because it makes it harder to turn safely at intersections, but at the same time they are great, because a pedestrian can indicate intent to cross by entering the bulbout. roundabouts are great when they are used properly, but they take up more space than a traditional intersection, which means trying to cram one in where a traditional intersection was often just makes the whole ting awkward, and some drivers are almost militant in their refusal to understand how to operate one.

When you mentioned the extreme amount of stimulus we face in cities, boy did I feel that. I'm not neurodivergent, but I am hypersensitive, or a highly sensitive person, whichever is the more accurate term. I get extremely stressed out by really busy streets, as I literally cannot help taking in a ton of information, even emotional information sometimes. I'm lucky that in my city a lot of the paths I take are quiet and surrounded by trees, but if I didn't have those my cycle to work would be waaaay more stressful than it already is. And I don't get that luxury everywhere, it's taking some time for my city to become more pedestrian focused.

The obvious solution is stop guaranteeing car access on every single road. Everybody can be a pedestrian but not everybody drives a car...

@ukyoize

3 жыл бұрын

this. cagers are to uppity

@KyurekiHana

3 жыл бұрын

Try this, and you will literally have people start committing committing violent acts. Look up the 35th Ave NE Seattle debacle.

@Coolsomeone234

3 жыл бұрын

Tru that

@pendlera2959

3 жыл бұрын

@@KyurekiHana What about the car-free streets and plazas this very channel has shown in almost every video?

@LisaBeergutHolst

3 жыл бұрын

@@KyurekiHana Like motorists aren't already violent? 🤔

In the UK, at pedestrian crossing underneath the wait button is a little nub, that turns when the pedestrians can walk, so people who are deaf and blind can navigate safely, it's also used as redundancy incase the beeping sound is working (edit : so it still has sound this is just as a backup). Also there is almost a whole language on the pavement (sidewalk) for blind people, Tom Scott made a video on them.

@tsareric1921

3 жыл бұрын

I was gonna comment about the Tom Scott video. It's one of the fee thing I like about UK streets. Shame some place are ignoring some parts of it, like high contrast colours for example.

@rogink

3 жыл бұрын

We also used to have beeping sounds for when it is safe to cross - but I can't think of any crossings near me that do that. Seems like a backward step?

@maknyc1539

3 жыл бұрын

scott tom

@Alex-cw3rz

3 жыл бұрын

@@rogink no we still have the sound the budget is a backup

This! Even as someone with usually "invisible" disabilities this all make the difference. Universal design makes me feel like the cities are for us aswell as people without disabilities, it makes people more independent and less dependent on constant help from others.

i always advocated for reclaiming urban spaces in our city. I really hope the Philippines will give more importance to pedestrians and mass public transportation rather than bridge expressways.

@pangolin83

3 жыл бұрын

Wait till Skyway 25 gets built

@yungbananaclip2822

3 жыл бұрын

With Duerte in power, I feel expanding on a proto-fascist state will be more important with your government.

@kiane9465

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe in hundred years or so Metro Manila skyways will be staged as elevated public gardens. One can only dream.

@karl-oppa5261

3 жыл бұрын

hehehhe i like skyways and expressways, it will continue to expand and the best part is.... car/expressway haters can’t do anything about it 🤣🤣🤣

@kirbyarroyo2118

2 жыл бұрын

@@karl-oppa5261 are you acting like this because your parents didn't give you enough attention???

Good lighting is also important to help women feel more safe walking after dark

How? Make cars feel like they’re in the people hood, not the car hood.

@mikeflanary642

3 жыл бұрын

I always liked the way Amsterdam puts it "Cars are guests"

@kenbrown2808

3 жыл бұрын

"how do you make the roads good for everyone? declare cars to not be part of everyone" also known as "othering" which is a popular discrimination tactic. but definitely make things more pedestrian friendly, because if you make pedestrianning easier and more convenient, more people will choose that over driving, and that's good for everyone but the for-profit healthcare system.

@Notmyname1593

3 жыл бұрын

lol, this made me envision car gangsters and not car gangsters fighting for turf.

@mikeflanary642

3 жыл бұрын

@@Notmyname1593 people go insane if you propose limiting on street parking or lowering arbitrary parking minimums

@wclark3196

3 жыл бұрын

@@kenbrown2808 Oh yes. Let's not violate the rights of cars. Oh, wait a minute. Cars don't have rights, since they are inanimate objects.

This channel was recommended to me by Not Just Bikes, but your reality is so far removed from mine (I live in The Netherlands). Side note: your neighbourhoods look practically abandoned.

@purplebrick131

3 жыл бұрын

True, he's doing really good work teaching universal urban planning principles tho

@dinahmyte3749

3 жыл бұрын

I believe he lives in California, which is currently on fire and hitting record temps. My local neighborhood in the midwest looks like that during the day because the heat here is oppressive and the lack of green spaces and shade make it uncomfortable to be out for long...

@princeoftoast6175

3 жыл бұрын

Welcome to suburban America friend!

@KyurekiHana

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, here in America it's accepted that everyone drives, and that walking is only something the homeless do.

@sammymarrco2

3 жыл бұрын

yeah in in American neighborhoods with single-family homes sing people out is not very common. Especially mid day because it's very hot.

I would just be happy if suburban side streets had sidewalks on both sides. Far too many codes just have them on one side and not both.

@lemonade4181

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. We need this in Toronto. Some suburbs have sidewalks on both sides, but not all.

@SentientTent

2 жыл бұрын

There's a bunch of sections without any sidewalk at all. Or a single sidewalk that switches to the other side of the road every couple blocks. I'd like those to not be the way they are.

The same goes with NYC subway and London underground systems. As both were constructed at least 100 years ago, they didn't consider disability access at the time. Now, they are both trying to make some of the stations accessible to all on existing stations by adding lifts and all new stations have to have disability access

Thank you for mentioning those of us on the autism spectrum! Even for us who are supposedly "high-functioning", using city streets is quite difficult. The downtown streets not too far from where I live I the bane of my existence.

Glad to see a video on this topic! My big gripe with universal design is that still too much discourse is around "this is a good thing to do" rather than "this is MANDATORY". Especially the bare minimum ADA standard stuff, which even existing infrastructure should be forced to comply with. I live in Melbourne Australia (a city that likes to think of itself as progressive) and a good chunk of our trams and city buildings aren't accessible and have no date they plan to be, but born and bred Melburnians think it's the most normal thing in the world. Baffling!

In Japan, the sidewalks slope down slightly to road level as you get nearer to the crossing. This means there is no need for curb ramps. There are also tactile pathways on them.

In Irvine(CA), crosswalks are voiced for ADA. It’s kinda fun seeing outsiders get surprised by spoken warnings

@steven.l.patterson

2 жыл бұрын

I think the voice (“the walk sign is on to cross Main Street is on”) is preferred to the obnoxious sound as it’s not always apparent which crossing that sound is for.

I had to use a wheelchair for several months before I got my hip replaced. Boy howdy, did that suck. I gained a new respect for people who have to use them on a permanent basis.

@kaitlyn__L

2 жыл бұрын

For what it’s worth, those folding steel chairs hospitals give out are completely unusable long term, and we feel sorry that they make people recovering from surgery use them 😅 (The lightweight wheelchair was invented by a company called Quadra, run by just a couple of people making them by hand out of racing bike spec aluminium tubing. They were eventually bought out by Quickie who are still around, and making quite similar looking designs for their midrange and high end models!)

If I ever were the dictator of a country, sidestepping all red tape, I'd know how to do city planning. Thanks.

@sizor3ds

3 жыл бұрын

You’d probably be interested in a video by GCP Grey called The Rules for Rulers

@deanc9453

3 жыл бұрын

Napoleon III? Is that you?

@unbearabletruth4310

2 жыл бұрын

Eh, no need to be a dictator, minister of transport should cut it in a republic (I think).

From 3:42 to 3:51, you show Valencia (Spain). I live 70 kms away, been there multiple times as I studied there and I can tell you that there are way more street lights than necessary in many areas. It is one of the most light-polluted areas in Europe. On the footage you can see those beautiful street lights being lit at "half capacity" (as in recent years the city's government seems to want to reduce light pollution) and it is still pretty bright...

My Grandpa actually tripped on a curb in Australia, I never connected it with the street design

@maknyc1539

3 жыл бұрын

UH OH

I cross the street from the parking garage to my job’s building in downtown, and one of the nicest things they added was adding audible cues and signaling when it’s time to walk. It felt like such a small change but it made a big difference.

Thank you so much for mentioning neurodivergent people, and specifically autistic people, in this video. A lot of discussion of universal design focuses on physical disability, and while that's *so* important to address, people tend to forget that neurodivergences provide design challenges, too!

I worked at a middle school a month ago, while sitting close the office there was this kid who went to talk to the principal. I had noticed that the child about 12 years old had prosthetics from the knees down. He started by saying that he would like to have a chair by the classroom door during recess. From one thing to the other the kid started crying saying “this school is not nice, there is no benches anywhere”. He stated that he gets tired very often from walking. From his emotions and his words you could tell that this specific incident was not really about the chair by the door but a frustration of the planning that happens around us. The benches around our cities are purposely against people sitting down, anti homeless elements obstruct a bench. The worst thing about the whole situation is that the principal really judged wanted the kid to just stop crying. I know the principal I know that she would not take the necessary steps to bring this real concern to the underfunded public school administration.

I realise how good or bad a city is designed sometimes when I started taking a trolley to the local shops when I need to carry more groceries. Interestingly Road Guy Rob also did a similar topic to this.

Thank you for making all your videos so inclusive!

When you said you worked on this with PBS terra, I got a bit worried about whether this video was actually going to be good because there were no disabled people on boaed, but I think this was pretty well-done. I like how you emphasized the lesser known ways of making spaces accessible as opposed to just covering wheelchair accessibility.

Thank you for these incredible videos. I’m just starting my Urban Planning career and these videos are not only informative but motivational as well. Thank you!

Im an engineer (Structural & Mechanical) in Texas and a disabled wheelchair user and I'm so glad to see you make a video about this subject. I've actually thought about messaging you about this subject for a year but haven't lol.

I had a wheelchair bound friend and it was eye opening to me. Now I always see the crosswalks that send folks basically into the intersection, instead of the actual crosswalk all the time, its wild. I attended a universal design workshop in 2019 and it was so great to see how cities are trying to make these improvements.

I really love the way of designing streets for everyone and not only for cars. There are even more ways to increase the safety for pedastrians. In the Netherlands, for instance, there are extra spaces for turning cars to see pedastrians and cyclists. Dutch cities are even retrofitted with different grids and street designes, depending on who the street should be using: There are different grids for cyclists, pedestrians, public transit and motor vehicle traffic. The concept there is not "car free", but "car light". Fortunately, they take these concepts at heart at my city one day.

Very important topic! Thanks for opening up the discussion!

How can roundabouts be designed to be friendlier for pedestrians/people with disabilities?

@christafranken9170

3 жыл бұрын

They can have continuous sidewalks, making cars cross the sidewalk in order to get to the roundabout itself

@KRYMauL

3 жыл бұрын

@@christafranken9170 Or raise the roundabout to make it even more obvious that cars must slow down.

@Jacob-yg7lz

3 жыл бұрын

In the Netherlands they set back the crossing, so that there's a little space for a car to wait for pedestrians before speeding up kzread.info/dash/bejne/iqSFr8mbdK22n84.html

@thefrub

3 жыл бұрын

I've always wondered why the crossings don't just X over the center circle. Way easier than what we do now

@Jacob-yg7lz

3 жыл бұрын

@@thefrub Because people in the circle aren't supposed to be yielding, it's what makes roundabouts effective.

For the past 2 weeks after finding your channel I've spiraled down an infrastructure, zoning, and transportation binge on youtube and I've been loving it! Thanks so much!

My father is in a wheelchair and as someone often pushing, I can tell you that in some locations, it can be very difficult. Just things like potholes or tree roots pushing up parts of the sidewalk can make it tricky. It's also as you said difficult to make a perfect street. For instance, depending on what pattern they use, those tactile tiles they use to warn blind people at intersections are really difficult to ride a wheelchair over. And on 6:14 you can see those big boulders to prevent trucks from cutting on the curb when turning. Those are really dangerous for people with vision impairment and if incorrectly placed, can also make it impossible to get between them with a wheelchair or mobility scooter.

@kaitlyn__L

2 жыл бұрын

Tactile paving can be a PITA for front wheels, yeah. Not sponsored or anything but I have them and I love them, so I’d recommend looking at whether Frog Legs front forks are compatible with his wheelchair. It’s a small suspension made of composite material which helps a lot going over bumps up to about an inch tall.

i love your channel, and this is the great video. it's really nice to see that someone thinks like you. keep up the great work!

I'm so dedicated to watching all your videos that I just watched this entire video that explains exactly what I do for a living haha

Fantastic video! I shared this video to my Universal Accessibility class group. Universal design is for everyone, that’s why is universal…

I don’t have any disability myself, but a a personal experience that opened my eyes to this problems came from a very unexpected situation: Last year I started working for Amazon as a groceries delivery driver. Since I have to park on the street and not always close by the entrance of the place I’m making the delivery, I have to pull a wagon cart full of bags of groceries and water cases up curbs, or many ridiculous apartment buildings with 20 stairs just to get to a lobby just to find I have to go up and down 2 or 3 more stairs that lead to a hallway… On the same floor I was walking. Is very exhausting, but I feel very bad for people who have to do all that just to get around.

Wow! I didn't know those arrows at a small number of intersections in my city of Chicago have the ability to vibrate. When I traveled to Evanston, I heard a PACE bus announcing it was turning. I wish more vehicles had that feature. It would be very helpful for visually impaired folks.

Raised intersections and having places to sit alone would make a HUGE difference in my area (there are at least three schools less than a 15 minute drive from my house; a universal design would def. be beneficial for all those kids too)!

Thanks for this video! I love universal design so much - it is remarkable how probably every one of us benefits daily from these things, but many able-bodied folks have thought about these ideas and standards as though they're some form of charity that only helps the differently abled! I know I did, but now I think I'm much more aware and appreciative, and try to encourage and support more things that help make all accommodations able to be enjoyed by EVERYONE.

In NZ, Curb Ramps are EVERYWHERE. If you find an intersection, it's most likely going to have a curb ramp. On some streets in busy places, they install bumpers which double as crosswalks.

I always forget you film in SLO! Love the subtle nods to local streets I've been on.

Love the video, so inspiring

Universal Design for Learning is an important and essential concept in education (one that is under-discussed and under-implemented), so it is interesting to know the concept is extended to street and city design as well.

oh, they just redid an intersection near me and actually made it with the curb extensions. It's pretty interesting. The city's also been installing those warning surfaces all over the place and even whole paths. Very funky to walk on, but really easy to follow the path.

@thefrub

3 жыл бұрын

Pretty sure it's the new federal code, every time a sidewalk gets repaired it's going to have these features. They're popping up all over my town randomly

In the uk pretty much all public paths have path ramps, tactile surfacing, crossings have audible noises as well as tactile surfaces for people with vision problems, street lights are everywhere except for country roads ( roads that aren’t used very often and don’t often have road markings )

Woooo, I saw me some West Palm Beach there, right in front of the library on Clematis and Dixie (FL-5).

Thank you for the videos, I love the thought that goes into city planning and managing

One thing I see everyday and kind of wish you would talk about, is city buses and delivery trucks can never make turns in these tight intersections, and always hit the curb. Not really sure whats the solution, but these aren't for everyone, maybe the elevated one would work (no curb to hit) but you still need the turning clearance.

@beardyface8492

2 жыл бұрын

Solution is a 7.5T weight limit, & alternate routes for heavy vehicles.. Works in Europe.

Raised intersections can also be used to easily close off streets for street events or public food and shopping events promoting local businesses.

6:07 I never imagined the crossing at N Dixie Highway and Clematis St at West Palm Beach would be used as an example for raised intersections. Impressive!

I learnt so much from this video. My city has a loooong way to go💔

I'm an autistic transport engineering/planning student and I cried at the inclusion of neurodiverse and autistic people in this discussion. Thank you

Raised intersections (or at least raised crosswalks) have the huge advantage over curb cuts of not sending pedestrians shooting uncontrollably into the street when the sidewalks are icy.

another well made video

Meanwhile, in my hometown they put barriers at the entrance of the railway station so you have to lift the suitcase over the barriers while entering.

@thefrub

3 жыл бұрын

You have a railway station, you're better than 90% of american cities. In most places even served by Amtrak, the train comes once a day at 2am and the station is just a parking lot. And it's more expensive than flying.

This is actually really sad to see. Where I live in England has a lot of these functions and hadn't realised some people were deprived of such basic things. All crossings are marked by bumped and lowered pieces of pavement and are coloured accordingly to the kind of crossing for those with diminished eye sight , all crossings have pedestrian crossings lights which beep when you can cross and also have a little knob at the button of all crossings for blind people to hold and spins when the traffic is stopped by a red light. Also those interstates look absolutely terrifying???? What awful design, why is there no lights!??

As someone who's noise-sensitive, I disagree that there should be small pockets of quiet space. Streets should strive to be less loud overall. Creating small pockets instead of reducing overall noise levels almost feels like we're not giving it enough thought. Not Just Bikes has a great video on noise in cities if you ever feel like checking that out. Other than that, great video! :D

the place i currently live is less consistent on that front, but Saarbrücken (where I used to live until recently) had those blind ppl friendly crossings all over the place. I think accessible tram stops deserved a mention here too, like level boarding & intersections.

Great video - can you do a piece about what autonomous vehicles could do for street design? I see a scary future where cars are always the priority. MKBHD talks about it all the time in a positive light as a driver - sounds like a COLAB opp!!

Way forward!

The way I wish more places would design for the elements and heat in particular holy shit

Oh dang, that’s San Luis Obispo!

I take dropped kerbs for granted here in the UK, they are at every junction where a pedestrian is expected to cross. I though I do not have a disability, it was always so noticeable in the US that some kerbs would so high and you were expected to live with it.

French future urbanism engineer here and like, I'm surprised. A lot of what's talked about there is common sense here at least in big cities, even mandatory in some cases (like the texture things in front of pedestrian crossings for visually impared people). I didn't even know it was possible not to have most of the things listed... However we also need to improve stuff as well (like the calmer spaces or benches that are both not hostile for people who want to sleep on them but also have a few armrests at the ends for people who need help getting up) Plus it's a bit rarer to see the things listed in small villages, there's improvement to be done there as well. Very interesting video overall, highlighting some needs I didn't know about !

Two words: continuous sidewalks. I know you can’t have them everywhere, but you can put them in at a LOT of places. Also improves safety, bc cars have to slow down to get over.

What an excellent video. God I wish my city had places to sit on my walks

In my local community, there is this main thoroughfare that has up to 6 lanes total, with not-so-wide sidewalks. It gets busy on the street with many large trucks passing by making a lot of noise and blowing dust, and sometimes there are unwanted litter (broken glass, car debris, general garbage, etc.) with no benches, trash cans, and lots of drive-thru entrances for cars. This despite being the centre of a commercial area. I at times imagine the street being more pedestrian-friendly and safe with the points mentioned. Maybe I should voice my concerns to my municipality. Also, interesting fact, in Vancouver the audible sound are birds chirping.

Thanks for putting metric values!

This is one of the things I have learned, the yellow slab at 4:57 has dots on it for blind people, when they step on it(hit their stick), they know there is an actual crossing for them. Really tiny detail that makes life easier for them(I think I have heard that in one of the UK videos, not sure which one)

@kenbrown2808

3 жыл бұрын

unfortunately, it's a worse surface for people with small wheels on whatever wheeled thing they are using. but they are trying.

@nothereandthereanywhere

3 жыл бұрын

@@kenbrown2808 yes, it is a trade off... But worth having I would say. I use inline skates and get over it, or just skip it as I know it is there

@gearandalthefirst7027

3 жыл бұрын

Studies have shown that most blind people don't find them particularly useful, there's better ways, or at least better ways to integrate it

OMG! someone finally mentions the Autism Spectrum. i respect you highly for it, because many forget about us it seems. the fact that you mentioned us makes my day so much better. thank you

I'd be curious about how seasonal realities affect these design options. Winter can create their own challenges.

@LucarioBoricua

3 жыл бұрын

Or in the tropics with intense rainy seasons. They're definitely doable, but whoever does the design must be mindful of the context they're doing it for.

@LoveToday8

2 жыл бұрын

It's all about the city prioritizing cleanup. Some European cities prioritize snow removal from sidewalks before clearing the road for cars. I'm sure there are other aspects as well but I'm sure weather-related elements can be incorporated.

There was a crossing near where I used to live that had a beeping signal at the crosswalk to let people know that it was safe to go. It also had a bird that mimicked that sound. (I let public safety know. They asked me what they wanted them to do about it... I suggested they at least had some idea of who in the area might need to know that information for their own safety.)

Good well presented material here! The downside of curb cuts is that they allow aggressive bicyclists to take over the narrow sidewalks rather than ride in the street with the flow of traffic. More than once I've experienced bicyclists play chicken with me or outright ring the bells and demand I step aside.

EVERY CITIES NEED TO SEE THIS SO THEY COULD LEARN SOMETHING and DO IT!!!!!

There is one portion of sidewalk where I live where there are markings for the crosswalk but no curb cut,every where else there are curb cuts for the crosswalk except there.

Nice shades dude😎

interesting video, thanks : )

The "Raised Crosswalks" and the German "Woonerf" are concepts that i would like to see more of pop up in the future

UDL is so important in every aspect of life. I wrote an undergrad capstone research paper about sidewalks in Seattle and the absolute mess they are in

As a person who only occasionally needs to use a wheelchair, I would love if all crosswalks were raised crosswalks. I sometimes struggle to get up the ramp in my chair, because I don’t need it often enough to be strong enough to go on a slope.

@kaitlyn__L

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it really takes a few months of constant usage to get that baseline strength. And even then I want to do weights to try and make it less intense against the flat. Some of the dropped kerbs are especially bad, I swear they’re steeper than the maximum legal ramp…

Something I found really interesting about the sidewalks in China were the band of textured paving bricks that seem to be everywhere. I think they're designed to help blind people walk straighter (they trace the bricks with their canes). They also add an interesting character to the sidewalks for the people who don't need them.

I've been waiting soooooo long for this video, thanks

my dad is in a wheelchair. our biggest issue is actually thoughtless abled people. construction/company cars are a huge issue but general people too. If ur parking up on the curb where ur not supposed to my dad has to then find a drop and cross (he has an all terrain wheelchair so he can deal with higher curbs but this is not the case for most wheelchair users) if ur huge van is parked right outside the house esp near a lamppost? Or you left your bins out too far. Or when some people leave old furniture on the road for other people to grab if they want ect. like IK ur trying to be nice (actually ur probably just to lazy to dump it) but ur blocking half the road? parking too close to corners is also an issue. its hard enough as a general pedestrian to check the corner when a car is parked super close let alone a wheelchair user, many wheelchair users use the roads in quieter areas. or they may need to cross at the corner because uve so kindly blocked it off with your car :)

@kaitlyn__L

2 жыл бұрын

Cars parked in front of dropped kerbs is the WORST!