The best thing about confusion

On my way back from lunch I had to cross one the many Airline Highway intersections in Ascension Parish. These intersecting roads are only two lane. Meaning people turning right cannot do so on red because they have to wait for people going straight. People going straight have to wait for left hand turners to yield oncoming traffic. Thus a standstill.

I hail from the German-Midwest. I like rules. I was taught that society functions very efficiently when rule following takes place. This is why I hate traffic in Louisiana. No one likes the rules; they don’t follow the rules; and the rules are rarely enforced. This leaves traffic efficiency extremely poor. Well actually non-existent. Merging sucks. Passing lanes sucks. Left turns sucks. Heck, why does Louisiana even have the interstate highways. Rule following is a necessity. High speeds require trust in the other driver. Signalization, consistency, and awareness become a matter of death. Not a matter of rule following.

Honestly, the best traffic situation is the French Quarter. Every intersection functions in its own messed up confusion. Is a car running the stop sign? Are there pedestrians entering the crosswalk? Who has the right of way? Why can’t they replace the street name signs? Has anyone ever considered bending the stop sign back since the hurricane? All the sudden this mass of confusion makes sense. It forces you to pay attention. While you may have the right of way, you can never be too sure that everyone knows. It may take longer to go a mile or two, but everyone feels safer.

So this is also why I love the intersections at Airline Highway in Ascension Parish. If everyone followed the rules, no one would get across. But with strategic maneuvers, we can all transverse the intersection in the short signal duration.

These systems go in the face of my German roots.

But even Europe has begun to recognize why this pattern works. England began removing wayfinding and signage in their central cities, thinking that more confusion for the driver requires attention. A simple concept that no driver wants to face. Yet as a relocatee to Louisiana, I think this concept would function extremely well.  So my idea? Remove all interstate highway, signage, signalization, road lines, etc. I bet our insurance rates drop overnight. (Which, by the way, are coincidently three times higher than my Germany-Midwestern Indiana rates). 

CATS protests LSU competitor | Home | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

CATS protests LSU competitor | Home | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA:

I've been one to support CATS... but this doesn't make any sense. CATS went through the bidding process with LSU and lost. So they are now competing with Tiger Trails. Maybe I don't understand how the Federal Transit Administration regulates transit. But still. This lawsuit doesn't seem right. CATS doesn't have enough funding to get through the year. How would they have provided a free route from LSU to downtown? Even if they could have added a route at regular fare, why haven't they done so? I figured it was because of funding limitations. This lawsuit makes me think they aren't providing these links because of a lack or foresight.

I think CATS should learn from this experience and decide to run more evening routs around entertainment (aka. until 3am). Maybe one from Mid City to downtown? Maybe Mid City to Campus? North BR to downtown? Southern routes? If funding is a problem, why can't they approach businesses in these areas (like they did downtown) and see what they can work out? Many smaller cities in which I have lived run routes similar because bars will subsidize the service.

Just sayin'.

Streetlife Quandary

 The predicament of that thing called streetlife. Having people on the street makes a place lively, safe, and overall fun. Yet in the automotive world we would rather enjoy the sustaining 68 degrees in our car; or the perceived short walk to the store, if the parking lot is in the front of the building. This, in turn, kills streetlife and makes a 'place' dead.

It reminds me of the commercial area near my college campus. While only two blocks long I had a place to get groceries, toiletries, alcohol, fiveish bars, two coffee shops, and four restaurants. This in turn brought people out, and I could sustain myself for the week. At the same time it felt safe. So safe in fact that during my Grad School there were five shooting deaths on campus. This was s tragedy for such a small city and university. So much so that the police stepped up patrols, undercut underage drinking, and began raiding all kinds of house parties. In fact, there were several reports of attempted armed robbery to pedestrians. It all sounds scary. But the student bodies response? Police Yourselves! Yes, a mockery to the law enforcement, but at the same time nightlife almost increased. With the eradication of frat houses and house parties, more people would come to the Village for the night. This included several attempts by the coffee shops to host all age events (because bars can’t allow entrance to under 21). So while crime was seemingly on the rise, the streetlife only got better.

Now the Munice “strip” isn’t attractive. It’s actually downright ugly. The buildings are plain and simple (if not falling apart). Absolutely no public investment to the streetscape, unless you count the banner that Ball State placed where the strip meets the campus. But two of the ugliest parking lots sat in this area. So, I don’t think it counted.

Why was the streetlife so great? While people are so fixated on looks, that’s not what eventually puts people on the street. It’s substance. That’s why all the Asian markets are full; and Time Square functions. I agree that the public needs to invest in the infrastructure. But people on the road amplifies more people to the road. It’s not the look. It’s not crime. It’s the people.

Take Government Street in Baton Rouge. Residence says they love the area and want it to survive. Yet complain that crime is too high and the City hasn’t invested in sidewalks, roads, signals, etc. While I agree with all of that, those are the minor problems. The biggest problem is that people refuse to partake. Within a half mile of me are numerous supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants, bars, schools, a gym, and coffee shop. My walk score is an urban Mecca. What’s it missing? The people!

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Report: Get Out of the Highway-Obsessed Eisenhower Era

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Report: Get Out of the Highway-Obsessed Eisenhower Era

The Federal tax to spend ratio for highways has always been disproportional. So there needs to be a solutions, especially since discretionary funding is being cut. However, if the Federal government gets out of highway spending, politicians on both sides of the isle will cry foul. Federal funding has always been critical for our nation's highway infrastructure.

The solutions suggested in the report are fair. Yet will never fly in the political atmosphere. It's amazing how many people don't realize their gas tax comes no where near to paying for the road infrastructure (as noted in the report). The highways system is way more costly than most people realize.

The sad thing is even if the highway problem got solved, other forms of transportation aren't anywhere near to a solution. The populous wouldn't support any tax raise for highways, let alone transit.

And our infrastructure crumbles, traffic becomes worse, and we become more and more dependent on one form of transportation. 

Letter: We pay for our suburban lifestyle | Opinion | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

Letter: We pay for our suburban lifestyle | Opinion | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

Love the comments pertaining to the dangers of urban Baton Rouge. While I don't live within the exact areas being discussed (Baton Rouge does have some of the higher murder rates within this country)... I do live within a mile of these areas, and my street isn't short of street solicitors and the occasional gun shot. Yet, I walk daily. In fact, the only time I use my car is for my commute to work. Imagine. Five years later, I'm still alive.

I also love the fact that it is totally incomprehensible for people of all ages to walk for groceries, etc.... when it was the only form of transportation less than 75 years ago. Imagine what they did thousands of years before the car?!? Imagine the 8 million people in New York today; and the countless other urban cities (including our very own New Orleans). How are we not loosing millions of people a day to shootings, heat stroke, and overall depression because of people's urban lifestyle.

I'm OK with people saying that they would rather live in the suburbs. But it's a lifestyle choice. It has nothing to do with safety. So don't rationalize my tax dollars being used to keep yourself safe.

Why America’s Young And Restless Will Abandon Cities For Suburbs | Newgeography.com

Why America’s Young And Restless Will Abandon Cities For Suburbs | Newgeography.com

Generational movements are interesting to observe, mainly because it shows trend progressions. While statistics back the trend of young people (20's and 30's) choosing inner-cities, the article shows a movement back to the the suburbs. As an urban dweller and suburban worker, I like this trend. The site specific boom and bust periods of housing markets might be over. Instead of developing one area and leaving the other to decay, maybe the market can finally utilize both. It would finally take the strain off city infrastructure - both urban and rural. This housing crisis somewhat proved this theory. It wasn't an industrial revolution that left the rural areas in poverty; and it wasn't a white flight period that left the urban areas in shambles. This crisis was (more or less) felt across the market.

While I may personally not like the suburban life, many of my millennial friends have opted for this transition. But here's the kicker. They opt for the suburbs under certain conditions. Most are buying into communities that hold the urban qualities of convenience and choice, while making sure it fits in the the suburban gimmicks of 'new', spread out, and car oriented. I contend this development is more expensive. Given they are less dense and need more infrastructure (thus should pay more). But that's another topic for another day.

What I don't get is Louisiana. The national trend of buying in both the suburbs and cities seem to hold statistically true. Yet for none of the same reasons. Most urban areas are still dilapidated with little public improvements; while developers in the suburbs aren't blending housing with convenience.

The reason? Maybe status quo? Or are their still underlying factors? Houses are newer in the suburbs here, but traffic is still horrible, environmental conditions are troublesome, jobs aren't following (companies normally follow the populous), and the suburbs aren't incorporating convenience/choice into developments. Which is not the present day national trend for the suburbs. So one can only conclude our movement is still directly related to crime, poverty, and lack of education. Which Louisiana (Baton Rouge and New Orleans especially) rank at the bottom tier of all those. But since the bedroom communities are OK with the status quo, infrastructure investment isn't happening. Neither are developers taking more concern in future trends. That's OK now... but ten years we will be stuck with development that people don't want (let alone are sustainable with our current infrastructure).

Streetsblog.net » Dallas Demonstrates How Not to Build a Modern Streetcar

Streetsblog.net » Dallas Demonstrates How Not to Build a Modern Streetcar

I like Dallas. But there are many things I don't get about Dallas. One of those things in their transit system. They have a very extensive system, and with exception to this new line, it seems well thought out. The suburban park and rides are cheap and easy; the rail in the inner city services many of the old business districts; and they have developed many TOD's around new stations. Yet on visits to Dallas (including my most recent), no one uses the system. I mean, Generation X and Y'ers will use transit purely on principal. I mean common, Portland built an entire city overnight based on that principal. Now the city is dependent on their system.

Then enter Dallas. The system has been in place almost as long as Portland's and Washington, DC's. yet it obviously hasn't taken hold like those two cities. Mind you, I haven't been there during the work week and I can only hope it's utilized by commuters. But the fact people my age never consider the alternative, I don't have high hopes. Maybe the system is still too new. Maybe the car is just too prevalent. Maybe it's just the south. But even people in New Orleans use the highly inefficient Streetcar just, well, because.

But the only thing that I can think of is the CATS tax initiative and how the Dallas outcome would kill anything transit in Baton Rouge forever. And as always, I fear the worse. People say they would definitely ride a train over a bus. Yet at the end of the day, the underlying concepts are the same. And those underlying cocepts need to be at the forefront from the planning stages, all the way through to execution. Somewhere it was lost in Dallas. And Baton Rouge doesn't have the convenience of a nice highway infrastructure to fall back on like Dallas.