I just got back from a grocery run, and holy crap. The difference in temperature between a greenway in the woods and a sidewalk next to a multilane road is mindboggling. The greenway was almost pleasant. The road felt more like the surface of the sun.
It's almost* as if continuing to coddle drivers by building out more and more roads is actually contributing to the global heat wave we're living in right now. [*sarcasm]
For those who really want to explain urban heat to me, save yourself the trouble.
Urban heat is a thing because cities are covered in concrete, and concrete traps and then radiates heat.
Cities are covered in concrete because of cars.
IT'S THE CARS. Cars are the reason cities are hot, noisy, stinky, dirty, and expensive.
@DrTCombs didn’t tarred roads come to be because of bicycles?
(Edited out my mansplaining. Sorry. 🤦)
@DrTCombs My town's planners are attempting to make the town more climate friendly by widening cycle paths. In theory a good thing, but they also want to cut down 140 mature trees to do so.
@apolaine
If the bicycle accommodations mean fewer new car trips in the future, then it's a good takeoff. They would have to take down far more trees to accommodate the same # of trips by car.
We're having the same debate here, but the math makes it pretty clear when you account for the potential for reducing future car trips (and thus future temptations to widen roads to accommodate those future car trips)
@DrTCombs There are already bike lines on either side of the roads. The trees really make a massive difference to the heat in summer and, of course, clean the air too. I'd much prefer that they make the roads like those in the Netherlands that have separated cycle lanes as well as cycle lines along the "car" road, so that cars only have one lane if bikes are present.