Active mobility investments for the future and now
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- In Ep 157, Council Member Paige Ellis, representing District 8 in southwest Austin, returns to the Podcast to provide an update on the buildout of Austin's Dutch-inspired cycle network, discuss the recent visit of Her Majesty Queen Maxima from the Kingdom of The Netherlands, and outline some future plans for active mobility in District 8.
Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Landing page for this Episode: www.activetowns.org/2022/10/1...
- Paige's re-election website: www.paigeforaustin.org/
- The NL Study Tour: • Exploring Utrecht, Rot...
- Mamma Jamma Ride: www.mammajammaride.org
- My episode with former transportation director Rob Spillar: • The story behind Austi...
- Video of Austin Infrastructure: • My ride from Downtown ...
- My video of Queen Maxima's visit: • Celebrating friendship...
- My first episode w/ Paige: www.activetowns.org/2021/04/2...
- Learn more about Street Trees: smartgrowth.org/the-essential-...
Video timeline chapter:
0:00:00 Cold Open
0:01:30 Episode start
0:06:14 Council Member Ellis' re-elect platform
0:10:14 Reflections from the 2019 NL Study Tour
0:19:26 Pandemic actions
0:24:08 Off-street network opportunities
0:30:17 Cycle network and transit
0:35:19 The I-35 Problem
0:38:26 Traffic calming Zilker Park
0:48:40 The political will to do tough things
0:50:31 A royal visit
0:54:56 Addressing speeding
0:57:42 Trees in the street
1:00:00 Final thoughts from Paige
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Credits: Video and audio production by John Simmerman
Music via Epidemic Sound: bit.ly/3rFLErD
Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live: bit.ly/3rwsUup
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite: bit.ly/35DBDDU
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Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.
Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."
The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.
Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.
Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2022
I'm not from TX so Paige Ellis is new to me. I love her eloquence and willingness to listen and learn. I really appreciated her mentioning how communities were impacted (often purposefully) by infrastructure in the past and how she is attentive to that in her thoughts. I now live in the Netherlands and I often tell my Dutch friends (and sometimes strangers heh) that they have no idea how good we have it here. Of course there is room for improvement, there always is, but for us: we don't own a car and I use the public transit almost exclusively to get around. My sweetie does our grocery shopping with his bike. I bus, walk or bike to dr and physiotherapy appointments. And I rarely feel like I have to worry about getting hit by a car. It's such a mental shift and I love it. As Bicycle Dutch says, "cars are guests" in many spaces. Kudos to Paige and I hope she has many more years of helping create a better life for all her constituents.
Thank you so much for watching and for your wonderful contribution to the conversation. The work I am doing here is to help others see what is possible with relatively modest investments and a similar mental shift. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John
I was reminded of the first "how the Dutch got their cycle paths" video by Mark Wagenbuur, especially the "Carnegiedreef"' scene he put in. Build a huge median, you can even use the median to build in more calming by visually making things more narrow by placing trees close to the road. Great for traffic calming, great for water management.
Yes. I like it. 😀
Wonderful podcast. More cities need council members like Paige.
Agreed! 😀
Maybe good improvements, but also need to think about having more trees and other greenery.
Have a nice day, greetings from The Netherlands 🙂
Always a nice way to start the day. Greetings from Austin. Thanks for watching. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John
Great to hear this bright legislator recognize that not everyone can drive a car and that alternatives must exist. I've been making that exact argument to our council.
Yes. Precisely. 😀
It might be like a Dutchman? Known, for state. It's not just building bike paths. But in your case also Como and Aldi. Getting to smaller shops in neighborhoods? You saw that yourself! It's possible! Love, Happy New 2023. Greetings from Spakenburg, The Netherlands Gerben T and Gabriëlle.
Thanks so much! Happy New Year 😀
John, I'm envisioning a flood mitigation project where a large forested area is flooded annually to take up the flood waters. The idea behind using a forest instead of a marshland or pond is the forest reduces evaporation. A forest can handle a flood that lasts just a few weeks and maybe it might just last a few days before the water percolates into the ground. And that can supply a lot of the water that the trees will need through the dry season.
Love it! I'd like to create such a forest in the middle of and along most of Austin's ridiculously wide residential streets Paige mentions. 🤣
Too much pavement = speeding and flooding
Need more bike infrastructure like bike paths, bike networks, bike racks and bike parking spaces.
Many more
I think a bicycle infa is only possible if you allow small supermarket chains in residential areas. So that people who live there do not need a car, and fresh every day. Able to pick up BY BIKE.
Yes. This is such a good point. It certainly helps to have this level of flexible land-use planning. I actually have several places I can easily walk to in my neighborhood, not to mention being able to comfortably bike to the larger grocery stores. In fact, one of the very first videos I ever posted was my ride to the grocery store in Downtown Austin: ua-cam.com/video/eitdbjjjK_4/v-deo.html
And if you do the Road Tax 2% Up. That's kind of to get people out of the car. If more bike paths come from that money. And local shops, WHICH YOU CAN REACH BY BIKE!!
Yep. Incentives, convenience, and comfort - all working together. 😀
This is all about safety while being on a bicycle.
Yes. Our cities should provide not only a safe environment but a welcoming one too.
The Dutch Queen is actually Argentinian...........
Yes! She sure is. Here's my video of her visit here to Austin a few months ago. ua-cam.com/video/NCsY2YrAb7Q/v-deo.html
Thanks so much for watching. I hope you are enjoying the Active Towns Channel. Cheers! John
Not just an American problem. A Canadian Problem. A global problem. Restrict the use of fossil fuels by getting people on bikes, wheelchairs, buses and trains.
Yes. This is a global issue
So instead of farms everyone gets a bike 🚲!
Not mutually exclusive. Farms plus bikes. Hehe 😀 I grew up on a farm, and one of the things I love most about the Dutch land use and cycle network design approach is the preservation of farmlands between cities with very comfortable cycle paths through the countryside connecting town to town. I'll be producing a future video highlighting this incredibly successful model, which can be duplicated anywhere in the world, provided there is the political will to do so. Thanks so much for watching. I hope you enjoy some of the other content on the Channel. Cheers! John
But cycling long distance to have protected lanes is not practical for commuting.
Must be why the Netherlands is filled to the literal BRIM with paths like that, because it's not practical. Got it.
Which was part of what we were talking about when referencing the integration of the on-street facilities with off-street networks - like the video I provided. These longer distances are truly viable commuter routes.