Making people and cars equal.

The New York Times has an article talking about policies in European cities to make it down right hostile to drive. Actions include, unsyncing stop lights, letting pedestrians walk anywhere and most importantly eliminating parking (as discussed in Michael Kodransky's report titled "Europe's Parking U-Turn") . These steps have been able to drive down car ownership.

The goal of these actions is not to make it hell for cars, but to make cities habitable for people again. Also the other action is to make resources more equitable between people and cars. It takes 115 cubic meters to support a car vs 3 for a pedestrian. A greater than 30 to 1 ratio! My favorite quote of the article is:

“When I’m in other cities, I feel like I’m always waiting to cross a street. I can’t get used to the idea that I am worth less than a car.” said Pio Marzolini, a Zurich city official.