Read on Twitter
1/ Before “banning cars” make sure you’re not making cities worse.
I hate cars too but this is a world that EVERYONE has to live in. We don’t always do a good job on accessibility in urban design.
Here’s a meandering thread. https://twitter.com/drschweitzer/status/1281665508421427202
I hate cars too but this is a world that EVERYONE has to live in. We don’t always do a good job on accessibility in urban design.
Here’s a meandering thread. https://twitter.com/drschweitzer/status/1281665508421427202
2/ When I bring up accessibility, the response I usually get from (usually, abled white men - no snark here) people is “Of course it’ll be accessible. It’s the law. Things have to be accessible.”
3/ I’m reminded of that Brand New Queens library that was built - while there was an elevator connected to each of the floors, there was a whole THREE-LEVEL section with books that you could only get to by stairs. This is a public library. Technically compliant with the ADA.
4/ But being technically compliant with the ADA is simply not enough. The ADA doesn’t exist to make urban designers’ jobs harder - it exists to make the built environment of United States more ACCESSIBLE - to allow ANYONE to access public amenities, businesses, etc.
5/ If the built environment is inaccessible, then what good would banning cars do for disabled people who can’t access buildings because of missing or broken sidewalks or missing or broken curb ramps?
6/ Nobody is saying that we shouldn’t try to build bike lanes or build sidewalks or build infrastructure that will help reduce and maybe one day eliminate cars in our cities. People are just saying to work with marginalized communities to address concerns.
7/ In that NYT article - that picture of the street that’s been transformed - here are some things I noticed:
1) There isn’t additional sidewalk space.
2) There are still trucks and cabs.
1) There isn’t additional sidewalk space.
2) There are still trucks and cabs.
8/ 3) There’s an older woman in a wheelchair. None of those buildings look like they’re accessible. Granted, she looks like she could get out of the wheelchair if she needs to. But what about wheelchair users who can’t?
9/ 4) “Additional crosswalks would make it easier for people to safely cross the street.” Is jaywalking still going to be a thing if cars have been banned? (You know who gets disproportionately ticketed for jaywalking, right?) https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/05/07/nypds-racial-bias-in-jaywalking-tickets-continues-into-2020/
10/ Why are all of the rendered wheelchair users in these pictures being pushed by people?
11/ “How would people get around Manhattan without private cars?
Mostly on foot, by bus or by subway; often on a bicycle, e-bike, scooter, or some future light, battery-powered “micromobility” device...and sometimes, in a pinch, in a taxi or Uber.”
No mention of wheelchairs.
Mostly on foot, by bus or by subway; often on a bicycle, e-bike, scooter, or some future light, battery-powered “micromobility” device...and sometimes, in a pinch, in a taxi or Uber.”
No mention of wheelchairs.
12/ NYC has a huge inaccessibility problem with its subways. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-03/the-economic-toll-of-new-york-s-inaccessible-subway
13/ “Only 24 percent of New York City’s 472 subway stations are accessible via an elevator, according to a new report by the City Comptroller’s Office, and half of the city’s subway-served neighborhoods qualify as “ADA transit deserts,”
14/ meaning that they lack a single accessible station. In these areas, nearly 640,000 residents are impacted, including those who are mobility impaired, seniors, and children under five, who often need a stroller.”
640,000 people is not an insignificant number.
640,000 people is not an insignificant number.
15/ And let’s talk about Uber/Lyft, where it’s incredibly hard to find a wheelchair accessible vehicle, and when there is one, wait times are much, much longer. Uber even tried to argue against providing accessible transportation in an ADA suit. https://www.law.com/therecorder/2020/03/13/judge-doesnt-buy-ubers-claims-that-it-is-not-a-transportation-company-in-ada-suit/
16/ And many disabled people on Twitter have talked about how they’ve had rides canceled or been stranded when Uber drivers saw they had a wheelchair or needed some kind of mobility assistance.
17/ Same thing for disabled people who use guide dogs, even though drivers are not allowed to refuse guide dogs in their cars, according to the companies. But they still do it anyways!
“But they have to be accessible. That’s the law.” Well....
“But they have to be accessible. That’s the law.” Well....
18/ The people arguing against “Ban Cars” don’t want to be left behind in the quest for a more perfect world. They don’t want to be forgotten. Because they have been. That’s why we have the Civil Rights Act. That’s why we have the ADA. So they aren’t ignored/forgotten.
19/ You want to be free of cars. You want more mobility choices and more freedom. Well, so do disabled people. Disabled people want to live independent lives. Think about the fact that many homes are *not* accessible. That some disabled people are limited in their home choices.
20/ How would “banning cars” affect where they can live? Would they have to find another place to live? Would they have to leave their home/the city?
21/ Could banning cars lead to greater accessibility? Sure!
But it could very easily just as NOT. If you’re not thinking about it and making sure this utopian vision is inclusive of EVERYONE.
But it could very easily just as NOT. If you’re not thinking about it and making sure this utopian vision is inclusive of EVERYONE.
22/ The end. That’s all I’ve got for now.
23/ I lied. I have more. Remember: https://twitter.com/cmbaileyatx/status/1281716735624843264?s=21 ? https://twitter.com/cmbaileyatx/status/1281716735624843264
24/ Do you also remember when those same scooters were blocking sidewalks and curb ramps?
I love scooters, but they definitely were impeding some people’s mobility. https://www.cnet.com/news/disability-rights-group-sues-scooter-companies-bird-and-lime-over-clogged-sidewalks/
I love scooters, but they definitely were impeding some people’s mobility. https://www.cnet.com/news/disability-rights-group-sues-scooter-companies-bird-and-lime-over-clogged-sidewalks/
