I have two options when driving to work. One is shorter and takes straight level roads through the newest part of town.
The other way is slightly longer but it’s a twisty hilly road through the countryside.
I take the longer route every single day unless it is actively snowing or something. And now that hybrid WFH is a common thing, I don’t often drive in the snow.
I mean, you can organise grids to be more or less stroady, and if you have too much of this going - like you have a medieval street plan - you can get the opposite thing where cars are forced through areas only suited to pedestrians, and everyone has to flatten themselves against building walls to make room.
but the point is that by not organizing it into a grid at the local level, drivers aren’t going to cut through a low speed local street, keeping those streets less polluted and safer.
I mean, there’s more options than just tree or grid, and if it’s not strictly a tree the fastest route from A to B could be something small again. And of course trees have their own issues, like what happens if you need to get from one leaf to another that’s nearby, but only as the crow flies.
That example about having to move aside for a car going through a narrow European street was something I’ve actually experienced. Maybe it’s just my Canadian brain but it felt unsafe.
actually tho, flowing windy streets and roads are so much better.
I wish, just check Atlanta - winding stroads as far as the eye can see
Yes to all, especially the driver attention one.
I have two options when driving to work. One is shorter and takes straight level roads through the newest part of town.
The other way is slightly longer but it’s a twisty hilly road through the countryside.
I take the longer route every single day unless it is actively snowing or something. And now that hybrid WFH is a common thing, I don’t often drive in the snow.
I mean, you can organise grids to be more or less stroady, and if you have too much of this going - like you have a medieval street plan - you can get the opposite thing where cars are forced through areas only suited to pedestrians, and everyone has to flatten themselves against building walls to make room.
but the point is that by not organizing it into a grid at the local level, drivers aren’t going to cut through a low speed local street, keeping those streets less polluted and safer.
I mean, there’s more options than just tree or grid, and if it’s not strictly a tree the fastest route from A to B could be something small again. And of course trees have their own issues, like what happens if you need to get from one leaf to another that’s nearby, but only as the crow flies.
That example about having to move aside for a car going through a narrow European street was something I’ve actually experienced. Maybe it’s just my Canadian brain but it felt unsafe.
Less intersections where cars can crash into pedestrians or other vehicles