Suburban Nation - Andres Duany [82]
3. The transit stop must be safe, dry, and dignified. In most suburban communities, transit passengers are made to feel like impoverished transients, waiting by the side of the road on a graffiti-covered bench or inside an ungainly plastic bubble. No wonder, then, that the only people who take the bus are those who have no choice, creating a self-perpetuating underclass ridership. In contrast, the structure of the traditional neighborhood offers the possibility of a transit experience that is both comfortable and civilized. When the transit stop is located at the neighborhood center, next to the corner store or the café, the commuter has the opportunity to wait for the bus or trolley indoors with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, with some measure of comfort and dignity. For this condition to occur with regularity, transit routes and urban plans must be developed in concert. Ideally, transit authorities should also work directly with shop owners, who typically welcome the extra business that a transit stop can generate.
THE STREETS
We have already discussed pavement width, but we must be more specific. On well-traveled streets within a neighborhood, there is no justification for travel lanes wider than ten feet and parking lanes wider than seven feet. If either are any wider, the cars speed. However, on less-traveled residential streets, another logic should prevail, that of the “yield street.” Common in almost every prewar American neighborhood—but now summarily rejected by public works departments—the yield street uses a single travel lane to handle traffic in both directions. When two cars approach each other, they both slow down, and one eases slightly into a parking lane while the other passes. Because traffic is necessarily slow, accidents are virtually unheard of on such streets. While inappropriate for heavy volume, yield streets cause few delays when used for minor residential streets in low-density neighborhoods.
A yield street: a single travel lane handles traffic in both directions
Although this type of street is endorsed in the engineers’ official manual,de it is virtually impossible to get one approved. Almost everywhere we’ve worked, our demand for yield streets has threatened to delay our projects. It seems irrelevant that these streets exist in every older city, and that we have all driven on them regularly without incident.
A decisive battle in the Traffic Engineering versus Reality war was fought recently in Kentlands. One of the key compromises demanded by the local public works department pertained to Tschiffely Square Road, the town’s main drive. It is a divided avenue, with twenty-four feet of pavement in each direction, owing unsurprisingly to the requirements of the fire chief. In addition to this generous width, the public works department forced the developer to add left-hand turning lanes at every intersection, based upon their calculation of expected traffic loads; we were told that traffic jams were imminent. Seven years later, it was no surprise to hear that traffic congestion was not the problem; speeding was. In response to an outcry from the citizens, the city of Gaithersburg agreed to return the avenue to its original design at considerable expense. In subsequent projects, the city has been much more receptive to the use of traditional street widths.
THE BUILDINGS
A good town plan is not enough to generate a desirable public realm; individual private buildings must also behave in a manner that contributes to pedestrian life. Once again, a study of how the most valued historic neighborhoods differ from conventional sprawl uncovers the rules for a pedestrian-friendly architecture.
While conditions should vary throughout the neighborhood, houses should generally be placed close to the street in order to define its space, with fronts that are relatively simple and flat. Setbacks should range from about ten feet near the neighborhood center to about thirty feet near the neighborhood edge. To encourage sociability, the front yard should include porches, balconies,