Ban Cars™.

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
05/07/2020 at 22:13 • Filed to: Ban cars

20 miles of various Seattle roads that were closed* ( to thru traffic*) help facilitate social distancing during the Covid19 crisis will now be permanently closed, except to deliveries , buses, and hopefully (???) residents .

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DISCUSSION (24)

For Sweden > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 22:17

Watch this result in increased tax assessments lmao

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 22:20

Q: Are a lot of people seeing this in their respective cities?

I’ve seen a local media article that’s contemplating the same thing but I was out today and traffic volume is basically at pre lockdown levels. We weren’t hit hard and showing infection slow down so restrictions are being gradually lifted.

Doesn’t make sense to me.

AestheticsInMotion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 22:21

Traffic is already back to misery levels around Kirkland. Somehow things are going to get worse after all this

ClassicDatsunDebate > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 22:22

Are you writing for the FP now Zoid?

PatBateman > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 22:25

And all of Jalopnik’s authors rejoiced.

Under_Score > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com
05/07/2020 at 22:34

Are you in Atlanta? Traffic is brutal again.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com
05/07/2020 at 22:43

Local highways have been down about 30% in traffic. Whenever I go out local it seems to be 125% more local/city traffic than before covid.

DipodomysDeserti > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com
05/07/2020 at 22:47

Same here. Arizona is pretty much opening back up starting this weekend. We never had any sort of strict social distancing or quarantine and we still weren’t hit that hard.

I’m getting my haircut on Saturday. My barber is a friend and they’ve instituted strict measures.

MrSnrub > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 22:49

This is probably a good thing. As heretical as it is to say here I’m all in favor of reducing car dependence and this is a (very) small step in the right direction. Of course, it will be hard to make much progress at all with the way we’ve already built our cities but you’ve got to start somewhere.

Just Jeepin' > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 22:51

Speaking as someone who grew up in a quiet neighborhood that was absolutely ruined for kids by connecting the roads through to other areas, this seems like a great idea.

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > Under_Score
05/07/2020 at 22:59

Negative, just north of op in the hat.

Under_Score > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com
05/07/2020 at 23:11

Yeah, that’s... quite a bit farther away.

A lot of people were complaining at first about stuff reopening, but I think more people realized it was nice to do things like dine in at restaurants.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 23:18

Ban walking.

Jim Spanfeller > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 23:18

Confession: I once drove through a construction zone on the way to a friend’s house because the GPS told me to, and I trusted it for some reason. Pretty much immediately, I was telling myself, “Idiot! The road is just dirt, I’m not supposed to be here!” the panic only grew as all the side streets were blocked off, but eventually I found a way out and took the most bizarre and unnecessarily-complicated route to my friend’s house so that the GPS would forget about that road. Upon arrival, I discovered that one of my friends had seen me doing this, and thus the embarrassment was complete. :p

And this was in my T-bird, no less...

Roadkilled > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/07/2020 at 23:29

The Seattle Department of Transportation blog makes it clear that residents are allowed to drive on the closed streets.

I lived in St. Louis for 20 years and closed/private streets were common.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_place

There was no through traffic allowed. The streets were open for residents, visitors and deliveries only. I had a friend who lived on Portland Place, one of those private streets and I remember the lack of traffic.

I would expect the street closures to raise the value of the homes along those streets. I think they would be popular as long as residents can get in and out.

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > Under_Score
05/07/2020 at 23:43

It’s a very active situation and every city has had to deal with different circumstances. I can understand some trepidation but outright fear angers me. There are places where liberties should start to be re instated but out of state/province travel should still be curtailed and discouraged . Not every place got slammed like New York or Quebec . Sucks for them, but that’s the way the dice rolled.

Chariotoflove > MrSnrub
05/07/2020 at 23:44

That is a good goal. But it needs to be done the right way, by making the areas run which you want to reduce traffic less conducive to cars and more so to bikes and walkways. That, of course, is much more expensive and difficult than just imposing a restriction, but it tends to result in a more lasting solution rather than the frustration and resentment that heavy handed edicts like this engender.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion
05/08/2020 at 01:06

Dude, traffic was THICC today. I had to go to Alki , too. Only way to get there (other than Burien) with the WSB closure is through Georgetown. The light to 99-S was bad, but the light through S Harbour was probably 15 minutes.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > ClassicDatsunDebate
05/08/2020 at 01:07

Linking an article and baiting the comment section? Close enough .

LastFirstMI is my name > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/08/2020 at 01:53

Only because they haven’t figured out a way to Ban Humans

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion
05/08/2020 at 02:01

It’s still dead later in the evening, but I have noticed the daytime traffic is coming back with a vengeance. Interestingly, Wednesday was my first time back at the lab in over two months and tomorrow will be my first full day there during daytime hours, plus other people will be there... I’m sure all kinds of other stuff is starting back up due to the slight lifting of restrictions.

ClassicDatsunDebate > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/08/2020 at 10:38

Ha! I see a bright career in online journalism in your future.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Roadkilled
05/12/2020 at 14:54

Basically turns normal streets into cul-de-sacs, but the residents are responsible for street repairs at that point, correct?

Are most also gated?

My brother used to own a home on Pesta lozzi, off Grand , near Tower Grove Park.

Roadkilled > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
05/12/2020 at 23:26

I had a friend who lived on Portland Place. It was gated and the residents covered street maintenance. However, there wasn’t much required since there was almost no traffic.