Steering away from car dependency with Anna Zivarts (NEW BOOK!)

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Steering away from car dependency with Anna Zivarts (NEW BOOK!)

Рет қаралды 992

Active Towns

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 31

@KristinFehrman 3 ай бұрын

Such a great interview! Thank you, Anna! Looking forward to reading your book.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it… yours is up next! 🙌😀

@David-TX59 3 ай бұрын

Just watched the premiere with Kristin, great show, everyone should watch it.

@garyharty1902 3 ай бұрын

Thanks to Anna for trying to create more awareness in her advocacy and her book. A few years back a former City Councilor in our city when addressing the bicycle advocacy community had this to say. "No one is ever going to give up their car for a bicycle." And yes, our advocacy community was largely made up of people like me who have the choice of driving or riding. But it clearly shows a lack of understanding about the huge number of folks (30% ? 40 % ? or more ?) who don't have that choice. And the image in the woman in the power wheel chair sharing unsafe road space with cars because no other option exists. In the past two years I believe two wheel chair users have been killed on Colfax Ave in Denver while in the crosswalk with the pedestrian signal. Those types of fatalities are predictable and preventable if our traffic engineers had more empathy and cared more about folks not in cars. Another important episode, John. Thank you.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the episode, Gary. This is an important message to spread and wide for the reasons you outline. We have to remember though, it's not just about those traffic engineers and transportation planners (some/many/most are suffering from "car-brain" disease and will need to be reformed or replaced,) as they are mostly responding to the expectations of a myopic system focussed on moving a lot of cars as fast as possible. We have to change the system and the associated policies, which requires educating and mobilizing the populous, enhancing the awareness of existing city leaders, and voting out those that don't get it. Cheers! John

@garyharty1902 3 ай бұрын

@@ActiveTowns John, you are absolutely right. It's just that I have had way too many conversations with the engineers where they operate with circular logic - i.e. "We don't need to make this crossing safer, because nobody is crossing here."

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

@@garyharty1902 Yep. Again, the profession is also in desire need of reform (as part of the systemic change that is needed,) many engineers will need to "go back to school" and plenty will simply need to be replaced if they refuse to do the ethical, moral thing... My conversation with Jeanie Ward Waller, an engineer who spoke up and was fired by Caltrans covers this: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bdGRos2CmbS-iYU.html

@daveassanowicz186 3 ай бұрын

WOW! I am also vision impaired. Thanks! This is important

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

You are quite welcome! And you are absolutely right, this is very important. Thanks so much for tuning in and commenting. Cheers! John

@BoulderHikerBoy 3 ай бұрын

John, I simply love this channel! The voices you lift up are just great, and this one is so important given that everyone, if they're lucky, will live to an age when driving is not an option. Also, I would totally buy a "Ban Slip Lanes" shirt. And, yes, some disabilities are transitory, like recovery from surgery.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I am truly grateful that these amazing humans are willing to speak with me and to have y'all take the time to tune in. 🙏 Cheers! John

@reneolthof6811 3 ай бұрын

One hour of re-iterating the obvious is perfectly legitimate and sensible and I fully agree that it should be an essential conerstone of your podcasts to cement these views in the public’s consciousness. However, in the end it is about getting these views translated into active policies at all levels. I appreciate that you put a lot of effort in that aspect too. I feel it deserves an even bigger portion of the available airing time. Without actual progress you tend to get stuck. The situation over the across the pond is somewhat different, but here too, the execution of the plan (whatever it is) needs an increasing amount of attention.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Totally agree! We have so far to go here in North America and in many other car-centric places around the globe where motornormativity has blinded people into thinking they must drive everywhere for everything always. I love that Anna was behind the Week Without Driving campaign (I hadn't realized that until after I read the book) because this is an example of an effort that can make a huge impact not only on community awareness, but also within city leadership and could result in the necessary policy changes. Ultimately our challenge is massive in that we must enhance awareness across the majority of our communities, changing hearts and minds, including those in power, and get to work changing the built environment. I've profiled many examples of individuals and institutions "fast-tracking" this process as a means to enhancing awareness and facilitating the changing of hearts and minds. I've also profiled elected officials who are leading the way, making the change happen, and showing political will as the inevitable backlash arises. My goal is to have all of these profiles serve as tools for change and inspiration that things can get done. Thanks so much for tuning in once again and for contribution to the conversation. Cheers! John

@JacobBax 3 ай бұрын

That busstop at 22:41 was insane, just as usefull as a busstop on the mount everest.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Well said, Jacob. 🤣

@cherevao Ай бұрын

Great interview! Thank you for sharing so many local resources

@ActiveTowns Ай бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for tuning in. Cheers! 😀

@kennethbradley2222 3 ай бұрын

As a 70 year old disabled Navy Seal use cars when it is the only option. Cycle in a small town people here change lanes to pass you. My wife and i are looking at getting bikes for football teams they can not understand why my legs are so strong. Cycles are the fountain of youth

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

They really are the fountain of youth in so many ways. Thanks so much for tuning in and commenting, Kenneth. I hope you are enjoying the Active Towns Channel. Cheers! John

@KCH55 3 ай бұрын

As a person who has driving anxiety, I can technically legally drive but I don't have a car nor I'm currently able to afford that in my circumstances. It really sucks. To be in a car dependent suburb. Where I'm at we do have paratransit but the paratransit. It's very limited hours less than 8 hours and is only 5 days a week. I can thankfully walk, however and wouldn't say it's a very accessible for somebody who has disabilities, that limits their ability to move.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your experience. As Anna and I mentioned you are part of a growing constituency that our city leaders and the rest of society needs to become aware of and appreciate. Take care and please share this episode within your networks. The landing page for the episode which also has the audio-only version is here: www.activetowns.org/2024/04/30/driving-not-an-option/ Cheers! John

@user-jz8fu8lm6e 3 ай бұрын

As a european who has lived in the US in the past, I'm angered at the indifference america has towards the disadvantaged. That just doesnt happen in Europe. Where does all the indifference come from?

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

That's a good question. The complete answer is definitely quite complicated, but just keeping it at the level motor normativity or "car brain" of the status quo is the fact so much of the environment has been shaped by the assumption that everyone will drive everywhere for everything and that has thus brainwashed the majority of the population to the point where they can't even fathom people not driving. This is starting to change, slowly. Thanks so much very tuning in and commenting. You doing so helps bring about enhanced awareness and I really appreciated it. Cheers! John

@user-jz8fu8lm6e 3 ай бұрын

@@ActiveTowns I live in the Netherlands and over here we have special buses for handicapped people subsidized by the government. In an american context I could see something similar perhaps sponsored by local businesses. Just a thought. I really enjoy your channel too btw...

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

@@user-jz8fu8lm6e Many communities do have similar services but they are very limiting. Yay! So glad you are enjoying the Channel. I'll be in The Netherlands for a spell this summer during my 2-month Active Towns Tour. Looking forward to it. 😀

@JustClaude13 3 ай бұрын

Sidewalks are a problem, even if the city provides them. I've seen ADA cutouts that end in a utility pole. The wheel chair can get up onto the sidewalk, but then what? I actually like slip lanes, in a way. They offer a lot of potential. There's a slip lane on northbound Second to westbound Main I'd like to rebuild. Squeeze the lanes on Second down to 10 feet, add a painted bike gutter with a buffer strip and plastic posts, then move the island over to narrow the slip lane and use it for bicycles. It's an acute angle turn, so you'd need to round the outside corner for trucks, but it would be well worth it. Highway off-ramps vary. Here in El Cajon the I-8 meets Second as an intersection. Cars come down to a signal with a 90 degree corner. Magnolia has an interchange. Cars come down a lane that lets cars merge with the road at 30 mph, without stopping. It's a little more difficult to cross on foot. 41:00 I can't see the sign, but it looks like you have to go to Ethiopia to cross the road on foot. There's something symbolic about that.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Hehe, that's about right... go down to Ethiopia, then you may cross "legally." This STROAD needs to be redesigned into a street ASAP. Thanks, Claude!

@bobbieboothroyd8531 3 ай бұрын

That road with the church looked down wright dangerous at the very basic level they should have a barrier to protect people from cars Lorries. Like a motorway's. Would an Orcam be useful for Anna to Help her Read. I have karatacones. I get around by bus. And walking. We are Lucky in many ways in the UK with pavements/sidewalks. Our Motorways are 6 Lanes wide 3 going in one direction and 3 in the other. Our main Roads a two lanes wide in towns.the trick is to get a nice balance for everyone

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Thanks, Bobbie! Yeah, that road is ridiculous and completely unnecessary.