To address growing congestion from private cars & to make the city more livable, Gent instituted this Circulation Plan (CP) to give more space to walking, bikes, buses & trams. There are 6 zones & cars need to use the Ring Road (pic) to access them - can't cut through city center
At various spots throughout the city, "snips" were made where cars cannot enter without special licenses (camera enforced). They are marked by planters and signs and attractive red thermoplastic lines to alert people of the change. Bike racks and other elements dot the streets.
Most of these kinds of streets are considered "Temporary Intakes of the Public Domain" (TIODs). They are considered "temporary" because the City plans of a full re-design of them w/in 5-10 years. Pro tip, Google translate camera function was pretty damn useful on this trip. 
Signs like these are everywhere, and if there's any takeaway for Pittsburgh is that we should limit the streets where any old car/driver can travel and park
The CP was a massive undertaking. 1,900+ signs were added or changed, cameras, bollards, planters, and paint/thermo had be installed. Car parking removed, bike parking added, streets converted two-way to one-way, +ped streets, and an educational comms plan had to be rolled out.
Also a bunch of these slow streets borrowed from the Dutch went in. The signs literally translate to "Bike street, cars are guests"
The result is A LOT of space for 🚲🚶🏿♀️🚊🚌 to stretch their collective legs without 🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗 breathing down everyone's necks, causing traffic jams, and making the streets less safe
Every single Pittsburgh residential street should be designed and signed for 20mph
If Pittsburgh is serious about addressing climate change, traffic violence, affordability and air quality, it must do something about car culture. And to do something about car culture you need to limit where cars can go, how fast they can go, and where they can park.
Another thing that Pittsburgh could easily do in the short term is 1. increase the amount of bike parking that must be built w/ every new building & 2. Allow a greater percentage parking swap of car parking for bike parking. Currently it's at 30%. Let's double it.
The result of these policies is way more people riding – young and old, parents with kids on cargo bikes, and even mail carriers
Something I think is noteworthy is how organic the street layout is. Reminds me of another city.
Seen along a heavily used cycle path. That chicken is haunting.
Ghent reported a 12% reduction in rush-hour traffic, and a 25% increase in people riding bikes in the first year of its traffic circulation plan. transportenvironment.org/news/how-belgi…
<Larry David voice> Pretty, pretty, pretty excited for the full @Streetfilms on Gent.
This brand new @Streetfilms is the pièce de résistance to wrap up my thread on Gent. I especially love the part starting at minute 8:22. vimeo.com/379854529
"The streets are more alive." Here's how residents of Gent respond two years into their plan to kick cars out of its city center.
theguardian.com/environment/20…
theguardian.com/environment/20…
@threadreaderapp please unroll
