Advocacy & Safety - New Bike-Ped friendly neighborhood

As much as I dislike all of the new subdivisions going up in town, this one actually sounds like someone gave a bit of thought to it.

http://www.iowa-city.org/pcd/PeninsulaMain.htm

Click on the 'designer's notes' for the Illustrative Plan.

Interconnected, Pedestrian-Friendly Streets
To make walking comfortable and safe along streets, certain design details are required. Sidewalks are needed along streets. Shade trees should be provided along most streets. Streets must be naturally traffic calmed; they should not be excessively wide so as to encourage speeding. Parallel, on-street parking should be the norm; parked cars add a layer of safety for pedestrians from moving vehicles. Perfect for dooring.
The narrower, “give- way” streets will create interesting options for pedestrians. Not to mention cyclists.
Create a Connected Bike/Pedestrian Network
Streets, alleys, paths, trails, and river crossings can connect to each other within the neighborhood and lead outside the Peninsula. Blocks will be small to provide more ways to move from one place to another within the neighborhood, unlike conventional suburban layouts. I'm unclear how this helps. Aren't streets, alleys etc. supposed to connect?
Reduce Car Trips: Encourage a Corner Store, Daycare, and “Live/Work”
A mix of uses in a neighborhood can provide many basic needs within walking distance. Neighborhoods are more desirable if they offer some basic daily needs such as a grocery store, daycare, and live/work spaces. Residents can have a more comfortable lifestyle if the basics are within walking distance and reduce trips into the regional road network. I can agree with this in its theory but from the rest of what I've seen in this proposal there are no true provisions made for cyclists, unless they want us on the sidewalk.

It's a quaint attempt at turning suburbia into a small town, nothing more.

Some motorists are not going to like this, but street networks such as the one described work well, IF traffic is calmed to about 25mph/40kph and bicyclists routinely take the lane.

Parked cars do not "shield pedestrians from traffic." Instead, they render pedestrians and even cars less visible at driveway entrances.

I generally prefer streets with on-street parking. True, dooring is a hazard; but it is an easily avoidable hazard. Why?

In Montréal, on streets with parking, car drivers generally stay 2 m (6-7 ft) away from parked cars. It means cyclists may stay away from doors, yet are away from traffic. In other words, when there is on-street parking, the outside lane is a wide lane. The "ideal" line of travel is also far away from sewer grades.

By contrast, when there is no on-street parking, the outside lane is usually standard-width.

Regards,

If the cars are going 30 mph. or less, I feel safe.

I want to spit when people fly through residential areas at 40 mph. I don't care if it is a school bus in a hurry.