The science of Shared Streets

“In the face of overwhelming odds, I’m faced with only one option: I’m going to have to science the s*** out of this.” – Mark Watney, The Martian

The low-cost, fast-moving creation of Shared Streets early in the pandemic was exceptional innovation by the City. It was brave, creative, and rapidly met the needs of citizens.

Intentionally or not, Shared Streets invoked the scientific method. The City tested a hypothesis, observed the results, and made adjustments accordingly. They moved fast and learned through observation what works and what doesn’t.

Shared Streets on some mid-size streets didn’t work so well and became slalom courses for drivers. But making quiet residential streets even quieter prompted people to come out in droves to walk, push strollers, and ride bikes.

The use of temporary barricades created some headaches. They got moved around and the sandbags burst. But these costs are a trifle compared to the benefit of being able to observe how people actually behave. Equipped with empirical proof, we can make bigger investments with more confidence that we’re going to get it right.

The standard approach to building infrastructure is different. It depends on heavy up-front planning and massive investments all before we have a chance to observe people in the wild. It depends on how people say they will behave in the future. It’s like asking, “If we install the new anti-gravity treadmill, will you go to the gym more this year?” We all know from failed New Year’s Resolutions that people’s projections of their virtuous future selves are often disconnected from how they actually behave.

It’s fine to ask people what they want. But when you rely on these guesses, plan for years, and spend millions of dollars on engineering and construction, you put yourself in a pickle: it darn well better work from the get-go because it's super hard to change. And even if it objectively fails, your confirmation bias may convince you that it’s a big success.

Making things that people want to use is hard. As Edison said, “I haven’t failed. I’ve just learned 10,000 ways not to do it.” And the best way to learn is to move quickly, observe, and adjust to make it better.

Driving everywhere is one of society’s most entrenched behaviors. To change it, we need tools that are up to the task. And this is why the empiricism offered by Shared Streets is so compelling.