Fast wheels, slow traffic

"Fast Wheels, Slow Traffic shows how the characteristics of transport modes can be combined to produce affordable, environmentally sound solutions to urban transport problems--solutions tailored to meet the demands of cities with radically different economies and transportation needs. With provocative and often entertaining examples, Charles L. Wright elucidates the problems endemic to urban transportation systems and the faulty analysis endemic to urban planning." "In examining the traits of various modes of transportation, Wright builds a case that tends to favor buses more than cars or rail. All modes are studied, including walking and cycling, and practical examples are drawn from both the United States and abroad. One such example is a look at Brasilia, the modernistic Brazilian capital, designed in the 1950s. As a result of city planning that separated residential and business districts and relied on the automobile, Brasilia, with lower population density than other Brazilian cities, has far greater transport costs. It has also become a notoriously dangerous city for pedestrians trying to cross the street. The situation is a paradox of modern transportation, one of many examined in the book.". "The author adopts a commonsense, yet systemic approach to choice among transport strategies. He starts with an analysis of the problems, rather than preconceived solutions, and then examines the costs and impacts of the alternatives. Along the way, he provides a host of examples of how promoters of expensive transport systems have "lied with statistics" to make their cases. Whether it's a matter of crossing the street in Brasilia or riding a bike in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Wright sees transport planning as a cooperative process--the best solutions are simple, low-cost, environmentally sound and sustainable."--BOOK JACKET.