A pioneering
study by Donald Appleyard made the astounding discovery that a sudden
increase in the volume of traffic through an area affects people in the way
that a sudden increase in crime does. Appleyard observed this by finding three
blocks of houses in San Francisco that looked much alike and had the same kind
of middle-class and working-class residents, with approximately the same ethnic
mix. The difference was that only 2,000 cars a day ran down Octavia Street
(LIGHT street, in Appleyard’s terminology) while Gough Street (MEDIUM street)
was used by 8,000 cars daily, and Franklin Street (HEAVY street) had around
16,000 cars a day. Franklin Street often had as many cars in an hour as Octavia
had in a day.
Heavy traffic brought with it
danger, noise, fumes and soot, directly, and trash secondarily. That is, the
cars didn’t bring in much trash, but when trash accumulated, residents seldom
picked it up. The cars, Appleyard determined, reduced the amount of territory
residents felt responsible for. Noise was a constant intrusion into their
homes. Many Franklin Street residents covered their doors and windows and spent
most of their time in the rear of their houses. Most families with children had
already left.
Conditions on Octavia Street
were much different. Residents picked up trash. They sat on their front steps
and chatted with neighbors. They had three times as many friends and twice as
many acquaintances as the people on Franklin.
On Gough Street, residents
said that the old feeling of community was disappearing as traffic increased.
People were becoming more and more preoccupied with their own lives. A number
of families had recently moved and more were considering. Those who were
staying expressed deep regret at the destruction of their community.
What is the writer’s attitude toward heavy traffic when he mentions the Appleyard’s study?
Gợi ý câu trả lời: