There's a street that's being redesigned in my city and there is no consensus on how it should be done. Originally built decades ago as a residential street through a neighbourhood of single-family homes, the surrounding community has transformed radically since then. Today, it's a busy neighbourhood full of multi-family condo buildings, street-level retail and a lot more people living in the neighbourhood and visiting the shops. Now, the city is looking to adjust the street.

But having attended a public meeting on this project recently, I can say there's no agreement on how it should be rebuilt. Some people think the pedestrian space ought to be expanded, because there are so many more people on foot. Others want more space for bikes because, currently, there's so much car traffic that it's discouraging for people on bikes to visit. And others think that, because there are so many cars, more ought to be done to make it easier for people in cars to get around and park.

So I thought it would be fun for us to have a go at redesigning this street to make it better. It's a bit of a game to see how this space can be re-imagined. Using Streetmix, the online tool, I built this street to its proper measurements. Have a go at redesigning it however you want — the only limit is your imagination:

Here's the street in Streetmix: https://streetmix.net/babin.tom/1/red...

NOTE: SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO SUBMITTED DESIGNS. Once you've redesigned it, submit your design here: https://forms.gle/2mH2pdjMPS4781EC6

There are a few rules:
1. You don't get more space. You need to work within the confines of the space — 15.2 metres is your maximum size.
2. Remember: Here's what the community says it values:
• Pedestrians and landscaping.
• Parking.
• Transit and traffic.
• Bicycles.
• Good movement.
3. Here are the city of Calgary's principles of Main Streets, which are guiding this design:
• Social and Healthy Lifestyle.
• Mobility and Functionality.
• Character and Identity.
• Economic Vitality.

What's the prize for doing this? Nothing! There is no right or wrong way of designing this street, so there is no winner. I thought it would be a fun and interesting experiment, so I'll just share the most interesting or thoughtful designs in a future video.

Thanks for taking part!

#cycling #bike #commuting

Buy my book Frostbike: The Joy, Pain and Numbness of Winter Cycling: https://rmbooks.com/book/frostbike/

I don’t really do proper product reviews, but here are some products that I’ve tried on this channel that I like. (Of course you don’t need anything fancy to ride a bike, other than a bike, but these are Amazon affiliate links, and I get paid a small commission if you buy them 😉)

• Here's the winter bike I'm riding these days: https://bit.ly/2PhqUqF
• Cliq Smart Bike Light (nice rear brake light): https://amzn.to/39lfqwo
• RedShift Acrlight Smart LED Pedals (clever lights for your pedals): https://amzn.to/3NL1Npg
• Aftershokz Titanium bone-conducting headphones (if you want to listen while you ride): https://amzn.to/3e9Tofa
• JBL CLip 4 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker (for your party-pace group rides): https://amzn.to/3pcMLPm
• Crane Bicycle Bell (the ding is sublime): https://amzn.to/3OwfZCu
• Ibex Merino Wool clothing (good for summer and winter): https://bit.ly/3xXkbEd
• Bicycle Cargo Net (why did it take so long for me to buy one of these?): https://amzn.to/31s1Ovu
• Vaude Cover II Rain Poncho (for higher-end, try Cleverhood or People’s Poncho): https://amzn.to/3jLkift
• Kryptonite U-Lock (your bike is going to get stolen eventually, sigh, but at least make it hard): https://amzn.to/3tPWcGi
• Peak Design phone case (the one I use, paired with the Peak Design phone mount): https://amzn.to/3HGM0FU

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