07-13-2017, 10:59 PM
Interesting Christopher Hume article from this week:
Why traffic jams are a good thing
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/07...picks=true
“Despite what most of us believe, however, congestion is a sure sign of a vibrant city. Congestion is good. This isn’t to say that traffic flow can’t be improved — it can — but the idea that congestion can be eliminated is misguided at best, hubristic and destructive at worst. Congestion is the price of urban success. A city without congestion is a city no one wants to live in or visit.”
“We have wasted decades and continue to fall behind because of political interference, bad planning, an outdated governance structure and social attitudes that see transit as the mobility equivalent of subsidized housing.”
“Local congestion is good for business; it signals the presence of people, money and activity. Regional congestion, by contrast, implies the opposite.”
Why traffic jams are a good thing
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/07...picks=true
“Despite what most of us believe, however, congestion is a sure sign of a vibrant city. Congestion is good. This isn’t to say that traffic flow can’t be improved — it can — but the idea that congestion can be eliminated is misguided at best, hubristic and destructive at worst. Congestion is the price of urban success. A city without congestion is a city no one wants to live in or visit.”
“We have wasted decades and continue to fall behind because of political interference, bad planning, an outdated governance structure and social attitudes that see transit as the mobility equivalent of subsidized housing.”
“Local congestion is good for business; it signals the presence of people, money and activity. Regional congestion, by contrast, implies the opposite.”
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.