The Pittsburgh City Paper, found my published my drunk driving challenge piece complete with mispellings and typos. I am somewhat serious about what I wrote and do think the city would be a great place for some kind of suicidal road or bike race. It works for France.
It is funny how, the same nanny state morons who want to dictate all kinds of tiny details in building design and zoning leave little things like transportation out of their thinking. If you have a bar or bunch of bars or night clubs in an area with very few residents around it and no transit link- you must think it's OK to drink and drive. Do you think that all the guys in the bars around the stadiums have designated drivers?
Being an urban planner means never having to say you are sorry, I guess. You just make the map and none of the blood that ends up on it is your fault.
I know this is a highly competitive position but this is an open call competition. In the comments below feel free to nominate your city or town. I do think Pittsburgh's amazingly poor urban layout, insane hills and hard drinking culture mean that we can win this one. The plans for the casino are likely to seal the deal. Drop a casino and all the needed parking right on the lower hill to eliminate any chance of having a residential area there. Right next to a sports stadium.
Do politicians ever have to take sobriety tests?
Showing posts with label Drunk Driving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drunk Driving. Show all posts
Friday, July 14, 2006
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Pittsburgh,Drunk Driving Capital of America!
The Friday mayem has got me thinking about an Idea that occured to me soon after I came to town. The city seems to be sadly obsessed with creating a niche of specialness with endless slogan campaigns and stuff. Here is one from me. Pittsburgh, Drunk Driving Capital of America.
That Pittsburghers love to drink is a sort of an absolute fact. Coming from NY, which is a hard party town, I felt at home. But, soon I could see that partying in the Burgh had a sort of wierd edge to it. In most of NY, because of it's high housing density and transit system ; one is often not far from home or a convenient way to get home after partying. drunk driving in NYC is a sort of unforgivable act. You are likely within 10 blocks or much less of a subway line or you can walk home or you can catch a cab out of the endless sea of late night cabs that troll the party alleys of NY. There is just no excuse for drunk driving in almost all of NY.
You have to wonder, Is someone trying to create some sort of drunk driver road course? There is hardly a high density transit system to speak of and so many of the popular party spots like The Strip and Station Square have marginal transit links. Service on the marginal system that does exist shuts down pretty early at night. Years of active aggressive and stupid urban planning has removed most of the housing density from near the center of town and created massive amounts of parking for people who might drive in from the massive sprawl that surrounds the city. Then some of the same genious people who discouraged or removed housing from the city try to market it as a place to come and party.
WTF. I mean WTF. Is it just me or is someone just trying to kill people. So anyway-- I think that we should challenge other cities to some kind of drunk driving contest or have some kind of suicide Grand Prix. I know it will be tough and that many other cities in America are designed to train drunk drivers. But I think we can win. It's a prize that we deserve.
That Pittsburghers love to drink is a sort of an absolute fact. Coming from NY, which is a hard party town, I felt at home. But, soon I could see that partying in the Burgh had a sort of wierd edge to it. In most of NY, because of it's high housing density and transit system ; one is often not far from home or a convenient way to get home after partying. drunk driving in NYC is a sort of unforgivable act. You are likely within 10 blocks or much less of a subway line or you can walk home or you can catch a cab out of the endless sea of late night cabs that troll the party alleys of NY. There is just no excuse for drunk driving in almost all of NY.
You have to wonder, Is someone trying to create some sort of drunk driver road course? There is hardly a high density transit system to speak of and so many of the popular party spots like The Strip and Station Square have marginal transit links. Service on the marginal system that does exist shuts down pretty early at night. Years of active aggressive and stupid urban planning has removed most of the housing density from near the center of town and created massive amounts of parking for people who might drive in from the massive sprawl that surrounds the city. Then some of the same genious people who discouraged or removed housing from the city try to market it as a place to come and party.
WTF. I mean WTF. Is it just me or is someone just trying to kill people. So anyway-- I think that we should challenge other cities to some kind of drunk driving contest or have some kind of suicide Grand Prix. I know it will be tough and that many other cities in America are designed to train drunk drivers. But I think we can win. It's a prize that we deserve.
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