I suspect that Sunday is often categorized as a slow news day, but I’ve found that some of the most interesting articles often appear in the weekend versions of the daily papers. I came across one such story a few days ago about a growing urban planning strategy that seems to be trending to a degree across many small to mid-sized North American cities.
According to the article, some Ontario city planners are having a serious look at changing current one-way streets back to routes that can accommodate two-way traffic. Truth be told, I’d never really given this issue much thought. But after reading the story and doing a few cursory Internet searches, I’ve realized that this issue seems to be a bit of a “hot topic” among some urbanites. In addition to the column I read, a December article from the Ottawa Citizen revealed that there’s been some discussion around taking similar action with one-way streets in our nation’s capital.
The chief issues at the heart of the debate for the cities considering changes of this nature seem to be centred on increasing business exposure for merchants along current one-way streets and safety for cyclists and pedestrians who may be in jeopardy due to the speed at which cars can travel without the stoppages associated with two-way traffic. Conversely, supporters of one-way streets speak about the convenience of travel and the benefits of relieved traffic congestion for commuters who drive themselves or for those who take public transit.
While I recognize the advantages to both sides of this argument, from a philosophical point of view I think I’m sitting in the camp of the proponents of the two-way streets. The author of the Dec. 11, 2011 Ottawa Citizen article wrote: “A two-way street is less of a ‘highway sort of a commuter-oriented route’ than a one-way arterial, and is ‘more of a community-oriented route’ where traffic is slower, residents find it easier to cross the road and people are enticed to stay within the area for stores and businesses, rather than passing through.”
The two-way traffic model also has history on its side, according to a Jan. 8, 2012 National Post article which said: “The Romans held their empire together with 80,500 kilometres of paved two-way roads, and when Incan porters carried supplies to Machu Picchu, they often passed llama caravans going the other direction. For the past 100 years, however, we have lived in a peculiar age of one-way streets.”
I realize that there are many complexities involved in an issue like this, but in some respects, I suppose the emergence of one-way streets could be perceived as an early representation of the changing nature of societal priorities over the past century. Much of how we live out our daily existence seems to be driven by our desire for expediency and convenience.
The Internet is often referred to as the “information super highway” and it has, no doubt, helped us connect with far more people than any other previous generation. However, with a developing dependency on technology, I fear that our children may grow up lacking the skills to make meaningful connections and will face challenges when attempting to generate depth to their relationships.
I’d encourage you to challenge your son to assess the quality of his interactions with others. As he embarks on his journey of self-discovery, is he speeding though self-created one-way streets in order to get to his destination as quickly as possible, or, like his ancient ancestors, is he travelling via two-way streets, and fully appreciating all of the social transactions he makes along the way?
Thanks for reading,
Scott
