Eco-towns in the U.K. post 15 mph speed limits
There are plans in the works in the U.K. to create a new type of housing settlement called eco-towns. There are expected to be five eco-towns built by 2016, scaling up to 10 by 2020 with populations of around 5,000 to 20,000. A unique feature of these eco-towns will be the very low 15 mile per hour speed limit leading into the downtown area. The downtown will allow no cars at all.
Housing minister Caroline Flint says, "These developments will be exemplars for the rest of the world, not just the rest of the country. It's critical that we get it right - and I make no apology for setting the bar as high as possible." Flint sees public transportation, bicycling and good old fashioned walking as acceptable alternatives to driving, with a goal of cutting unnecessary car trips in half.
Not all green-leaning people are happy with the plans, though. Some believe that the resources of surrounding areas will increase due to the eco-towns while others believe that legislation is focusing in too much on transportation while leaving other important eco-issues up to the developers.
[Source: BBC, Daily Telegraph]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Philip Hughes 8:25AM (3/26/2008)
Initially the only businesses in eco-ville will be services for residents, since it will take time for others to setup there. It will likely struggle to ever attract many businesses, since most rely on good transport connections.
Therefore, many people will have to work outside eco-ville (it cannot be self-sustaining otherwise).
How will these people get to work? Walk or cycle to a giant carpark on the outskirts...
Reply
Dave 8:30AM (3/26/2008)
This concept is not new.
In the Northeast it was called a mill village.
In the South it was called a plantation.
If you wanna live in the 1800s, be my guest.
Reply
Scatter 8:54AM (3/26/2008)
This has been widely reported as being an environmental measure but it can't be because it would increase car emissions. So is it a measure intended to discourage people from using cars at all? If that's the case it's misguided.
Offer a selection of cheap, clean, predictable, fast public transport and the residents of these towns won't want to use their cars for their day to day journeys.
Reply
Tush 9:34AM (3/26/2008)
Dave,
It's comments like that that show how little you've thought about this. Just because a city is planned so that residents don't need to use cars doesn't mean that it'll be a run-down plantation from the 1800's. Cities don't have to be planned around four-wheeled vehicles, they can be planned around walking and biking. Why would I need to get in my car to drop the kids of to school when they could just walk?
Think about it, without the straight roads the cars demand, you could set up cities in circles or geometric patterns instead of big-ugly-Roman-military-style grids. There are many villages in African countries that were built using fractal patterns, we could maximize efficiency by reducing urban sprawl.
Reply
Amanda 9:47AM (3/26/2008)
I quite like the idea of eco-towns but I'm not sure whether the demand is there for it or not. It may be viewed as a different level of housing which may cause seperation in the area. Why do we need to go down the 100% eco route anyway? If the government did more to help us to be more environmentally friendly then we could all do something. The following article I found suggested subsidising eco-friendly cars www.swiftlydoesit.com/will-we-be-seeing-red-or-seeing-green/. What a good idea. Making it more desirable.
Reply
Blaine Decker 9:51AM (3/26/2008)
Venice Beach and 3rd Street Promenade are two examples I can think of that do great for businesses but require you to park elsewhere and walk to the actual location.
I am just not keen about the 15 mph(was that suppose to be kph). Has anyone done tests to see how much more polutant a vehicle is at that speed instead of lets say 25. Some vehicles just don't want to drive in the right gear at that speed.
Reply
Joe 10:48AM (3/26/2008)
I agree with #6. Also, gas mileage is horrible at 15mph.
Reply
Charles S 1:36PM (3/26/2008)
Gas mileage may be horrible for ICE, but EVs have no problem in term of efficiency at lower speeds.
On the note about towns without cars, there are some island towns that have also ban personal cars and only allow go-carts, NEVs, and public transit. Residents at such places don't seem to have a problem as I can see.
Reply
armmat 2:03PM (3/26/2008)
I think it's a great idea. People like Dave can't see beyond the length of their own arms so it's no wonder they can't see the future benefits of such places.
The comparisons were utterly retarded.
Reply
Whopper 4:21PM (3/26/2008)
On some level, communities like this exist already. They are called "bedroom communities" and they exist in the suburbs outside the city. The problem is that the residents have to make a living and only a limited number can live off their fellow residents by providing services.
Somewhere, somehow, someone has to MAKE something. That means some form of manufacturing has to be done and if it is done outside this little fairytale community the people have to commute. You haven't solved anything.
Model our town after African villages...boy, there's a model of prosperity to follwo.
Reply
Wildgoosechase73 4:53PM (3/26/2008)
I can see it now, trucks will deliver goods to depots and then transferred to horse drawn wagons for final delivery. The people who cannot afford an electric car will rid donkeys and mules.
Watch your step when crossing the street!
Reply
Scatter 6:47PM (3/26/2008)
Wow, the concept of car-free cities and towns still needs a little development here.
Reply
Chris M 10:26PM (3/26/2008)
For most vehicles, the optimum speed for fuel efficiency is somewhere from 40 to 55 mph. That 15 mph limit is absurdly slow, and clearly meant to discourage any cars. Even NEVs normally go faster than that!
It wouldn't be so bad if they had a really good public transit system, but current public transit systems (bus and rail) require too much waiting and are not convenient.
Unless an efficient Public Rapid Transit "podcar" style system is implemented, these "eco-villages" will quickly devolve into low rent art communes, or slums, or revert back into standard suburbia with higher speed limits.
Reply