Yes, it does. And the relationship is causal.
> If more people live closer together there is more population density, but as long as they can access commercial areas easily then they can do their shopping and work and recreational tasks without cars.
What a bunch of bullshit.
> Are you seriously arguing that adding more space for cars makes cities less congested?
Not quite. Nothing can help hellscapes like Manhattan. They just need to be slowly de-densified, it'll take generations, but it will be done eventually.
Cities should make sure that they don't rely on transit, and the rest will follow.
How so? I live in lower Manhattan. I go to work, the gym, parks, restaurants, bars, movie theaters, etc. all without a car.
> Nothing can help hellscapes like Manhattan.
Lol. Don’t move to Manhattan then. Some of us enjoy it. Some of us prefer it over the suburbs. You don’t have to. No one is forcing you.
A lot of people say suburbs are bad and that we need to get rid of them.
The existence of those people doesn’t have any bearing on whether or not we should have congestion pricing in one of the densest urban environments in the world.
We’re seeing this happen partially as the insurance industry adjusts to climate change drives flooding and fires but it’s incomplete and needs to be combined with zoning reform in many cities.
If the relationship is causal, why are spread out areas with less dense populations which rely heavily on cars, like the Dallas or Houston or LA areas, so congested?
If you think your opinion is backed by data, I would love to see it.
Dense housing doesn't result in traffic congestion. If more people live closer together there is more population density, but as long as they can access commercial areas easily then they can do their shopping and work and recreational tasks without cars. When you remove cars then you suddenly have much more living space because a car takes up a large amount of room to store and there must be extra space for commuters and visitors.
Are you seriously arguing that adding more space for cars makes cities less congested? For every one parking space you add you remove a large amount of useful space for other things.