Design to Defund
In the wake of the George Floyd protests, many active transportation organizations have further distanced themselves from enforcement as a key safe streets tool (including SVBC). Calls to defund the police have resulted in cities like Berkeley suggesting that it is more appropriate for traffic enforcement to be handled by a parking meter attendant versus an armed police officer. While the conversation amongst the broader public has only just begun, SVBC is one such organization that has been more explicit about our feelings on enforcement. As we wrote in this blog, “If you knew that the White driver would get a fine for buzzing you and the Black driver would get three years in prison, would you really choose enforcement as your go-to solution?”How then do we improve street safety if we’re not demanding more police officers to ticket people for endangering the lives of bicyclists? How do we keep the streets safe under a “defund” mentality?There are many answers to this question. For SVBC and many in the bike movement, an important answer has been and will continue to be design. Here’s what we mean by that.Picture a paved bike trail that meanders along a creek through a typical town. At some points it has to cross a major street and does so via an underpass type of design. The path slopes downward with a slight curve to pass under a wide street above. These three elements are important because they all impact how a bicyclist will react:
Downward slope: This inadvertently encourages a bicyclist to pick up speed.
Curve: The bend in the trail impedes sightlines to see oncoming bicyclists.
Underpass: The trail gets dark as it passes under the wide street, further impacting visibility.
Indeed, this is exactly the design on the Guadalupe Creek Trail in San Jose just north of Julian, the location of a recent bike on bike fatality, which we wrote about here. Many riders avoid this section because the design is dangerous. To mitigate the risk, people yell out to alert those coming from the other direction but close calls are still frequent.How could the design have been better? Add lighting, add mirrors, take out the bend, and add signage. On that last point, I’ve included a picture of a sign. I’m thankful there is a sign but it is not at eye level where a rider would notice it. These are the types of details that experts understand. Through simple design elements, safety can be improved, especially if that is a key goal of design.Now take these same thoughts and apply them to drivers. Narrower streets cause people to slow down. Protected bike lanes prevent cars from mixing with bicyclists. They also prevent people from parking in bike lanes. Disallowing on-street parking eliminates dooring. Sharper corners force drivers to slow down and pay more attention when making turns. These are all design solutions that impact driver behavior and reduce the need for police officers. Granted, this example is not intended to suggest that with good design, George Floyd would have been treated differently. This blog is not written for people who already know that more police doesn't equate to safety. It is an attempt to help those who ride bikes, most of whom have been hit or know someone who has been maimed or killed by a car, understand how SVBC's work intersects with anti-racism work and the types of solutions that work better for all in an imperfect world. Yes, we need to prevent people from speeding and flouting the law. And yes, the increased presence of law enforcement has disproportional negative consequences for some. In this world, enforcement should not be the primary tool for street safety.Poor street design leads to bad travel behavior. Enforcement is then relied upon to solve the problem that we created. This is backwards. We should be proactive by investing in street design that naturally improves safety and eliminates the need for the presence of more police officers. Stay tuned as in the coming weeks, we’ll continue to talk more about alternatives to traditional policing in the traffic enforcement area. Also, would you like to join others in helping? Here are two ways.
As SVBC continues to work on centering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the organization, please let SVBC staff know if/when we get things wrong. Share your perspective with staff and help us learn, grow, and be better about using the SVBC platform to create a more just society.
Get involved! If you agree that we need better street design join one of our local teams to help advocate in your city.
