Fact is that pedestrians need to be able to cross somewhere. Separation is good. Creating barriers to their crossing is not.
The systems where cars never stop for cross-traffic proposed by some people are idiotic, since they’ll pen pedestrians and cyclists into small areas. I’m not actually opposed to self-driving cars, but I think they should be short-distance and electric.
We should keep designing for walkability and invest heavily in electric transit that acts more like self-driving cars. Much easier and more efficient to power over longer distances since you need batteries, and it can be very frequent unlike current trains.
Walkability is mobility. If you can theoretically live your life within a few mile radius of a given point, then you’re mobile enough. Further mobility for recreational purposes is great, but it’s also great to live where you don’t HAVE to travel large distances for normal things.
This doesn’t have to be a city. Plenty of college towns in New England and the West Coast that are like that. I knew a lady who lived near Mt. Holyoke in MA without a car for about 30 years.
