It’s the holiday season. There’s hustle. There’s bustle.
But seriously, people — you’re going way too fast.
On Saturday, my wife and I spent some time cleaning up the section of 7th Avenue that borders the North Park Central neighborhood, and cars were screaming up and down the road. Both 7th Avenue and 7th Street have a 35-mile-per-hour speed limit posted, and for good reason: they are residential areas. In fact, many of the streets in Downtown Phoenix are residential roads because (newsflash) people live in Downtown Phoenix.
Beside the fact that there are people living up and down these major arterial roads, speedy and congested traffic discourages alternative modes of transportation like walking and biking — furthering the auto-centric bias that has plagued our developing city for some time. A simple plea: Next time you have to use 7th Avenue or 7th Street to get somewhere by vehicle, give yourself enough time between appointments to drive 35. Bikers, walkers and residents alike will thank you.
