27 Aug Connecting the Dots on Transportation
To advance our thinking on potential transportation solutions in the MetroCore, the DVA will be hosting a series of MetroCore Quilting Roundtables this fall. The series will have a common theme of ‘Connecting the Dots on Transportation’ with each individual event focusing on one of the 7 key subject areas fundamental to successful city-making.
How we chose to move around the city relates to a multitude of issues that affect all cities, communities, and their inhabitants. These issues and their costs are often perceived as separate entities, which are in fact linked by transportation.
One of the best indicators of one’s satisfaction is the length of their commute time, and yet so many people find themselves in a long commute on a congested road, which also effects goods movement.
“City life is as much about moving through landscapes as it is about being in them” —Charles Montgomery
In Greater Vancouver 40% of all trips could be accomplished in a 20 minute bike ride, though cycling isn’t for everyone or all trip types.
A principle function of public transit is to provide accessibility to all members of society, especially those with limited mobility choices. Transit providers, however, struggle to address two, often opposing, goals: providing service that attracts new riders, while striving to better serve current users.
The decisions that govern, plan, and pay for our transit, roads, cycling, and walking networks are incredibly complex. 85% of the people in Greater Vancouver move through the region in cars, and may not have a full understanding of how transit and infrastructure improvements will affect their daily lives. Without all the information, we are prone to ‘fear-based impulsive thinking’ –fast brain thinking. Instead we must opt for a holistic approach – slow brain thinking, in planning to improve our city.
The Metrocore Quilting Roundtables will focus on a holistic approach to problem solving though the simple exercise of ‘connecting the dots’: by connecting the issues surrounding transportation with other key components of successful city-making.