Christine Moore.
By Christine Moore
In Summary:
This OP/ED, written by Christine Moore, outlines the Strong Towns approach to transportation and community development, emphasizing incremental improvements, financial sustainability, and safer streets. It argues that investments should generate long-term public value while promoting walking, bicycling, and productive land use.
The article also invites residents to attend the next Strong Town Apopka discussion on transportation today at 6 pm at Canon Coffee.
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The Strong Towns national organization advocates for better cities by implementing specific principles. First and foremost is their operational adage: “doing the next best smallest thing.” Incremental development, avoidance of suburban sprawl, cost-effective transportation improvements, and support for biking and walking round out Strong Towns' strategies for improving cities.
Related: Strong Towns brings infrastructure conversation to Apopka.
Strong Towns stresses that public works projects must produce positive productivity rates. A road’s adjacent private property should bring in sufficient tax revenue for the road to be maintained sustainably. The formula Strong Towns and Urban 2 promote is that property values should exceed 20X a road’s cost to build and maintain. Most municipal budgets lack data to budget in this manner.
Bikes should simply be one additional mode of transportation, which, over time, decreases the need for additional car capacity. Strong Towns is not in favor of “stroads” such as the existing Park Avenue, replete with a suicide lane. These types of wide and fast roadways through urban cores are unsafe, with data demonstrating high fatality and serious injury rates. Urban roads should focus on safe, shared use by bikes, pedestrians, and cars.
I believe, however, once a “stroad” has been constructed, remedies can make the “stroad” safer. Park Avenue s needs more crosswalks and signalization. Orange County Government will be hosting a community meeting next month to showcase such remedies. However, I do not favor building more “stroads”.
Strong Towns believes in expanding practical bike parking to reduce congestion. Local governments should mandate basic, accessible bicycle parking and incorporate bike racks in business districts. Orlando donates bike racks to businesses. This is a practical, low-cost solution.
Rather than waiting for massive, expensive federal grants, Strong Towns prefers installing sensible protected bike lanes using low-cost materials such as planters, concrete barriers, and bright, painted buffers.
Strong Towns posits that encouraging biking saves money by reducing road wear and tear and unlocking the more productive use of land otherwise tied up in expensive car parking. They advocate reducing parking minimums in downtown areas to revitalize older buildings.
There are many great examples in Central Florida and across the nation of cities following the Strong Towns approach. It just takes citizens' understanding, valuing, and implementation of these best practices.
Key Points:
- Strong Towns promotes incremental, low-cost improvements instead of large-scale infrastructure projects.
- Moore says that transportation investments should be financially sustainable and supported by surrounding property values.
- She encourages safer street designs, additional crosswalks, and practical bicycle infrastructure rather than expanding high-speed "stroads."
- The piece highlights examples of affordable improvements, including protected bike lanes and expanded bicycle parking.
- Residents are invited to attend the next Strong Town Apopka Conversation on transportation at 6 pm on July 16 at Canon Coffee.
The next Strong Town Apopka Conversation on transportation is today at 6:00 pm at Canon Coffee.
