CAR-FREE ZONES AND TRAFFIC RESTRAINTS: TOOLS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
IN 1962 VICTOR GRUEN ADVANCED A PROPOSAL TO TURN THE CENTRAL CORE OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, INTO A VEHICLE- FREE AREA. SUCH A PLAN FOUND LITTLE RESPONSE AT A TIME WHEN THE PUBLIC WAS STILL ENAMORED OF THE FREEDOM GRANTED BY THE AUTOMOBILE. IN THE MEANTIME, MOUNTING CONGESTION AND UNWANTED ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE EFFECTS HAVE LENT THE IDEA CREDIBILITY. IN GERMANY ALONE 28 CITIES HAVE CREATED AUTO-FREE ZONES SINCE 1967. AN APPENDIX LISTS TRAFFIC-FREE ZONES IN CITIES IN AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, DENMARK, FINAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY, IRELAND, JAPAN, THE NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, PORTUGAL, SWEDEN, SIWTZERLAND, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND THE UNITED STATES. THE PREDOMINANT MOTIVATION FOR TRAFFIC BANS HAS BEEN THE WISH TO ENHANCE THE COMMERCIAL AND AESTHETIC APPEAL OF THE INNER CITY AND TO CREATE A MORE LIVABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR THOSE WHO LIVE OR WORK THERE. AVAILABLE EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT TRAFFIC BANS ARE OPERATIONALLY FEASIBLE AND COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL. THE DEGREE TO WHICH THEY CAN BE IMPLEMENTED VARIES FROM ONE CITY TO ANOTHER AS A FUNCTION OF GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE; THE SIZE, CHARACTER, AND FUNCTION OF THE CENTRAL AREA; THE AVAILABILITY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT; THE SHAPE OF THE URBAN ROAD NETWORK; THE URGENCY OF THE LOCAL AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM; AND PEOPLE'S PROPENSITY TO WALK. TOTAL VEHICLE EXCLUSION IS LIKELY TO FIND THE WIDEST SCOPE FOR APPLICATION IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICTS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED TOWNS, BUT EVEN IN LARGER AND NEWER AUTOMOBILE-ORIENTED CITIES WHOSE CBD'S CONTAIN A MIX OF LAND USES THERE MAY BE CONSIDERABLE ROOM FOR TRADE-OFF'S BETWEEN ACCESSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. PROBABLY THE MOST STRIKING MERIT OF THE TRAFFIC BAN IS ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND LOWERING NOISE AT STREET LEVEL.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Sponsored by Committee on Pedestrians. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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Authors:
- Orski, C Kenneth
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Conference:
- 51st Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
- Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
- Date: 1972-1-17 to 1972-1-21
- Publication Date: 1972
Media Info
- Media Type: Print
- Features: References; Tables;
- Pagination: pp 37-46
- Monograph Title: Pedestrian protection
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Serial:
- Highway Research Record
- Issue Number: 406
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Air pollution; Automobiles; Noise; Pedestrian areas
- Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00224021
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Feb 23 1973 12:00AM