Re:Downside of Lower Manhattan’s Boom: It’s Too Crowded
by vidarh on Friday December 02, 2016 @11:52AM
(#13090181)
Congestion for cars in most dense cities tends to stay pretty much constant: Add lanes, and car use goes up until congestion is pretty much back to "normal". Close lanes and more people pick alternate modes of traffick until congestion is back to normal.
Which is one more reason to not pay attention to car congestion when deciding what to close, and instead make such decision based on how congested the sidewalks and public transport is.
You're stuck in the traditional American mindset of only thinking about cars. Yes, congestion for cars might go up. But you're not taking the space and throwing it into the ocean; it's going to other, more space efficient modes. Total congestion, then, goes down.
In Manhattan of all places, worrying about car commuters seems hilariously misplaced. This area has the best transit in the entire country. People will adapt.