Proximity is more important than speedy mobility

Planners are now questioning dogma they have followed for decades that the public wants and needs to travel fast to save time. Automobile companies market vehicles by how fast they can go from 0 to 60 mph, yet 95% of the streets in town are 25 mph and the freeway is jammed up. Streets and roads designed for vehicles marketed for their speed and size do so at the expense of safe access to local destinations by all travel modes: walking, bicycling, transit, even small cars. A growing number of transportation planners think access must be the primary objective for street design. In his article, “Planning for accessibility: Proximity is more important than mobility,”  author and planner Todd Litman argues that Departments of Transportation should be reconstituted as Departments of Accessibility. It's time for new thinking.
— Steve Price