The Costs of Car Dependence Go Far Beyond Roads and Parking
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The enormous suburban experiment that North America undertook after World War II has had immense costs. By systematically redesigning cities from coast to coast around a relatively new transportation technology—the private car—we thinned out our cities' tax bases and caused their unfunded infrastructure obligations to balloon, sometimes by a factor of ten or more. We've written a lot here about the costs of all the miles of road, pipe, sidewalks and parking; all the fire hydrants, streetlights, drainage facilities and pumping stations that must be maintained to sustain a city spread out at automobile scale.
What we sometimes forget to talk about is all the other costs associated with a development pattern that requires everyone to travel long distances in cars moving at high speeds. This development pattern affects every facet of our lives and institutions, from the courts and law enforcement, to the health care system, where a huge share of ER visits under ordinary (non-coronavirus) circumstances are related to motor vehicle crashes.
Strong Towns member Rob Karlinsey reminded us of that this week. Rob is the City Manager in Kenmore, Washington, and has written for Strong Towns before. Rob shared a post this week on the Community site, titled "Truly Moving the Needle for Ped/Bike Safety Takes Guts." In it, he provides this eye-opening reckoning with some of the less-discussed costs of a transportation system based on universal car usage, and a world built to render those cars all but mandatory. Here it is:
Last fall I was summoned for jury duty and was selected to be a juror for a car accident case that went to trial. The trial lasted for several days. We heard testimony from various witnesses and experts. We ended up awarding some damages to the plaintiff. After the trial, the judge came into the jury room to answer questions. One juror asked the judge what percent of her trial cases have to do with car accidents. The judge's answer? Over 90%.
And then I started thinking about all of the time, money, and resources that are mobilized when a traffic accident happens---the tow truck, mechanics and auto body repair shops, car rental companies, insurance adjusters, doctors, nurses, chiropractors, acupuncturists, attorneys, judge, court reporters, bailiff, jurors, and the list goes on.
While all those who respond to the aftermath of a car accident provide valuable and important services, what I love about local government is that we can prevent accidents from happening in the first place. Cities that have taken aggressive action toward ped/bike safety have seen a difference. But it takes guts. Guts to push back against motorists who say the world will come to an end if we put an over-built road on road diet. Guts to shorten ped crossing distances by taking out slip lanes that allow right turns at 30 mph.
For every traffic accident that is avoided, think about all of the resources that are freed up for other worthy causes, not to mention the prevention of human suffering.
But to make a meaningful difference in accident rates, a fundamental shift in thinking and priorities needs to occur. One from moving automobiles as quickly and efficiently as possible to creating a sense of place that provides comfortable places for pedestrians and cyclists. And that kind of a shift in thinking isn't easy--it takes guts.
You can check out Rob’s original post here and weigh in on the conversation. In fact, if you want to join a community of thoughtful leaders with guts who, like Rob, are working to make their communities stronger, one of the best things you can do is to join the conversation in the Strong Towns Community. We'd love to have your voice.