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>> Narrator: Here on the streets of San Francisco,
Professor Jason Henderson is researching the politics
that surrounds transport issues and how city space is allocated
to allow for movement and travel.
>> Jason Henderson: Market Street is a very challenging street.
It's the signature street of San Francisco
and for decades now there's been an on and off discussion
about reducing the impact of automobiles on Market Street
in terms of how it slows down the public transportation
and then more recently there's been a push
to accommodate more bicycles on Market Street.
So Market Street has these safe-hit posts
and the city has also painted the bicycle lane green
and this was done about a year and a half ago
and it's a pilot project and it seems to be working very well
and there seems to be a lot of support and little resistance
to making it permanent so it shows
that you can just do things, small things
that make a big difference.
>> Narrator: One example of a small
but effective change is a traffic diversion program.
Private cars now have to turn off Market at Tenth Street.
>> Jason Henderson: If this city can get a grip
on this car density and start reducing it
and start providing true alternatives
through the built environment and through the different modes
that people use, then it's a model for the rest
of the country for what many folks are striving towards
and aspiring to, which is a less car-dependent future.
>> Narrator: Professor Jason Henderson continues
to publish his research on the debate Save a Car Space:
Parking, Bicycling and Public Transit, and is writing a book
about the politics of mobility in San Francisco.