Roads and are for going places, Streets are places

All too often I hear the words roads and streets used interchangeably, these words describe two very different things, and the distinction is important.

Roads are the critical arteries of our towns and cities. They form networks of mobility for moving people and goods within and between our cities. Streets on the other hand are more complex, and serve a dual purpose, providing both access to roads, but critically they also form vast networks of public space where we live, work and play. Over the last half a century the private motor car has come to dominate these places in our cities, and any nuanced understanding of streets as both a place and a transport network has been almost completely lost to many communities.

In the 20th century, the public street, that great mass of public space, was been comprehensibly redefined and redesigned by traffic and road engineers. Engineers have primarily designed these spaces for the purpose for moving cars efficiently and effective through neighbors. Everything from their size, choice of materials, drainage systems and the laws for their use have prioritized the movement of cars.

Lets be clear, on even the shortest journey to work or school, our streets make up only a tiny fraction of the distance we travel. Local roads or main arterial roads make up the vast majority of the distance we travel in the average car journey. In my personal experience, the local street at both my home and the places I work would make up less than 1% of the total journey. Why is it, that this tiny component of our journey, and the vast majority of the public space in our cities, is so dominated by the movement of cars?

In Australia, most of our streets have vehicle speed limits of 50km/h. We know statistically that at this speed, a collision with a person or cyclist has a very high probability of sever injury or death. And we also know that reducing these speeds to 20 or even 30 km/h would almost completely eliminate the probability of major injury and death. Knowing this, why would we allow such reckless use of these public spaces?

Urban communities around the world are becoming increasingly aware of the value of their local streets. While many urban planners and urban designers promote the construction of bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure, there really is no need for all this expensive infrastructure on our local streets. While our local road networks, and other networks of open space, could always benefit from more dedicated walking and cycling infrastructure, the humble street is a vast resource being squandered on moving cars at high speeds.

I believe we need some radical innovation in the way we design, build and govern our local streets. They should be designed as public spaces for everyone; walking, cycling, meeting neighbors, playing football or cricket. Streets should be constructed with materials and drainage system that show they are completely different to roads. Imagine if every street in your neighborhood was designed less like a road, and more like a driveway you might find in a luxurious holiday resort. Why should they be any different? Why shouldn't they be simple strips of paving or concrete with a tree canopy, central drainage, no curbs, and designated places for parking vehicles. Finally streets must be governed as public places, more like a park than a part of the road network. Vehicles should be limited to near walking speeds, and pedestrians should right of way at all times.