this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2024
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They'll never compete against online shopping prices or convenience. Making it harder to traverse isn't going to fix that. But it will make it a nicer day out for tourists.
Have you ever actually walked down oxford street?
The pavements are normally crammed, and there are 3 million cars a minute fighting for the road space.
Adding 5x as much space for pedestrians is a fantastic idea.
It'll be a tiny, tiny minority of people not visiting OS because they can't park/taxi/bus to the shop front, and a huge number of people going there because it's a nice experience with no traffic.
Sorry, I weren't looking through my ableist lens properly.
So you think that adding more space for wheelchairs is a bad thing?
Gotcha.
These carbrains always start pearl clutching about the disabled at times like these
I think there are disabled people that aren't able to travel autonomously/independently and that the public transportation available is a godsend to them.
It's a difficult one, as you can't optimise for everyone. However if someone is really so disabled that they can't travel independently to the point that walking down a road is problematic then they are really going to struggle with Oxford St. today.
All the busses and taxis running down the middle of the road will prevent them from crossing to access all the other shops. They would probably be better off visiting one of the many other shopping areas rather than a tourist trap.
Are you arguing the whole world needs to allow driving up to businesses so disabled people can shop?
The whole world isn't even allowed to drive up there now, so why would anyone, let alone me, argue for that? Don't be ridiculous.
The whole sub-thread was me saying that this affects some people in negative ways and everyone acting like what I said is the worst thing ever.
Not surprising given that my initial comment was me effectively commenting that the time of big shopping streets is at an end due to the fact that it's cheaper online but that it would be good for tourism.
I didn't even use big words, I don't know what there is to be confused about. 😵💫
Wouldnt disabled folk already shop online?
I was taking issue with the idea that making people walk farther to a place is always bad for disabled people.
I'm a carer for my disabled mother, but I'm always a huge believer of fuck cars. I'm super excited about all initiatives that reduce the number of cars on our roads as long as they put alternatives in place. That said, my mum does most of her shopping online, but occasionally she has days when she feels well enough to get outside and see things. So when I see things like this, I instantly think about ways she would be impacted. Under no circumstances am I advocating for a reversal of this decision in any way. But if they added some form of short transportation, I think it would increase accessibility for people like my mum. The decision isn't mine to make or flesh out for feasibility, but I would be a shit son if I didn't speak up about things I'm cognizant of and maybe one day, someone far smarter than I will provide a solution.
What about something like street bike trolleys that could carry a wheel chair or something? I think they do stuff like this in touristy places that are frequented by older folk.
Something like that would be awesome. See, I don't have the solutions, but just mentioning stuff, smarter people have ideas. Thank you!
You're welcome but I'm not that smart! My other idea was something skateboarders used to do called skitching where you grab the back of a car to pull you, so they aren't all winners!