What we know, in this post-Robert Moses era, is that no matter how many roads you build, they always reach their maximum capacity. If you allow people the opportunity to fill a road to capacity with traffic, they will do it, especially if their other options are limited. Even with an hour long commute, a person wouldn’t just switch to the train even if you raise billions in capital investment in order to offer them a 90-minute ride to work as an alternative. Their food stores, their childcare, everything else in their life is only accessible by car, not by transit. This is the urban experience that cities like Atlanta have made. What we call “car culture” is not just nostalgic hot rods, rock and roll songs, and pinup calendars. It is the basic economic network that runs our cities, and our everyday decisions.
|
posted 3705 days ago