7 ways to create a pedestrian and cycling utopia

Nancy Shore | Contributor getDowntown Program

Treehugger recently posted an interesting set of ideas for how to make your city more bike and pedestrian friendly.

Their suggestions (in sum):

1. Take away right on red turns for cars
2. Install more red light enforcement cameras
3. Have more parties (e.g. excuses to close the roads)
4. Rein in distracted driving (e.g. drivers with cell phones)
5. Support limited speed limits to 20 mph
6. Go on a Tweed Ride (you'll have to read the post to see what this is)
7. Look to New York City for inspiration

What's interesting is that Ann Arbor has implemented (or contemplated) many of these ideas.

The idea of no turn on red was suggested in the Ann Arbor Non-motorized plan. We have lots of parties downtown (Art Fair, Green Fair, the Car Show, etc), which I think definitely makes it more pedestrian friendly. Downtown people can't really go more than 20 mph and I know the city as a whole has struggled with speed limits. We might not have a Tweed Ride but we do have the Ride Around Town (RAT--thanks WBWC!). Especially downtown, I think we are moving in the right direction on many of these items.

What do you think is missing from this list? What else could we do downtown and elsewhere to create a better environment for peds and cyclists in Ann Arbor? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

About the getDowntown Program: The getDowntown Program provides commuting programs and services to employees and employers in downtown Ann Arbor. We are a partnership between the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, the City of Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. To learn more about the getDowntown Program, please visit our website, getdowntown.org.