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A road less traveled

trouble13

trouble13

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I had a strange thought today which isn't unusual but its something i think could get bipartisan support by the public.

I heard a news blurb about how we are the numer 1 nation for traffic congestion and 4 of our cities rank in the top 10 for heaviest traffic globally.

Why cant we build roads big enough to factor in population growth and stay ahead of it by continually expanding?

Nobody likes sitting in traffic. It impeads commerece which drives the right nuts and people sitting in traffic adds polution to the air which drives the left nuts. Politicans love building roads cause of all the skim they get.

Lets get out there and add some damn lanes to our undersized roadways.

Who is with me?

Can i get a hell yeah?





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trouble13 said:
I had a strange thought today which isn't unusual but its something i think could get bipartisan support by the public.

I heard a news blurb about how we are the numer 1 nation for traffic congestion and 4 of our cities rank in the top 10 for heaviest traffic globally.

Why cant we build roads big enough to factor in population growth and stay ahead of it by continually expanding?

Nobody likes sitting in traffic. It impeads commerece which drives the right nuts and people sitting in traffic adds polution to the air which drives the left nuts. Politicans love building roads cause of all the skim they get.

Lets get out there and add some damn lanes to our undersized roadways.

Who is with me?

Can i get a hell yeah?





Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This is why good public transportation is needed in the us
 
trouble13 said:
I had a strange thought today which isn't unusual but its something i think could get bipartisan support by the public.

I heard a news blurb about how we are the numer 1 nation for traffic congestion and 4 of our cities rank in the top 10 for heaviest traffic globally.

Why cant we build roads big enough to factor in population growth and stay ahead of it by continually expanding?

Nobody likes sitting in traffic. It impeads commerece which drives the right nuts and people sitting in traffic adds polution to the air which drives the left nuts. Politicans love building roads cause of all the skim they get.

Lets get out there and add some damn lanes to our undersized roadways.

Who is with me?

Can i get a hell yeah?





Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
nice idea, but we don't invest in infrastructure like we should...we should also be investing heavily in public transportation.
 
We definitely should invest in infrastructure, but there is a point of diminishing returns to merely adding more lanes to highways. Beyond eight lanes (four lanes going each way), highways tend not to get any less congested, just because people drive like jerks, and will tend to weave in and out of lanes. Most drivers will tend not to use the lanes farthest away from the exits. This effect can be mitigated to some extent by making the inside lanes express lanes, enforcing laws that permit no exits from them for a long stretch or something.

What does usually help is adding more highways, but that takes a major investment of time and resources...which might actually form an argument for embarking on such a program, not against it.
 
What I believe is going to solve the traffic problem in the future is everyone driving networked smart cars. Imagine all of us in self drivings cars and all of those cars communicating with each other. It is us humans and our slow reaction times that slow things down. But that is a good ways into the future.
 
trouble13 said:
I had a strange thought today which isn't unusual but its something i think could get bipartisan support by the public.

I heard a news blurb about how we are the numer 1 nation for traffic congestion and 4 of our cities rank in the top 10 for heaviest traffic globally.

Why cant we build roads big enough to factor in population growth and stay ahead of it by continually expanding?

Nobody likes sitting in traffic. It impeads commerece which drives the right nuts and people sitting in traffic adds polution to the air which drives the left nuts. Politicans love building roads cause of all the skim they get.

Lets get out there and add some damn lanes to our undersized roadways.

Who is with me?

Can i get a hell yeah?





Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

In many states, especially California, the budgets are being purloined to pay for social programs. Then we have the "mass transportation" folks who are young and see a five block trek in the rain for a 55 year old as "exercise". And of course, the "no growth crowd" wants freeways replaced by trees.

We're lucky we get anything done.
 
I was hoping this thread would inspire some optimism. How sill i am lol

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trouble13 said:
I had a strange thought today which isn't unusual but its something i think could get bipartisan support by the public.

I heard a news blurb about how we are the numer 1 nation for traffic congestion and 4 of our cities rank in the top 10 for heaviest traffic globally.

Why cant we build roads big enough to factor in population growth and stay ahead of it by continually expanding?

Nobody likes sitting in traffic. It impeads commerece which drives the right nuts and people sitting in traffic adds polution to the air which drives the left nuts. Politicans love building roads cause of all the skim they get.

Lets get out there and add some damn lanes to our undersized roadways.

Who is with me?

Can i get a hell yeah?





Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

As long as it is not paid for and not added onto the debt.
 
Praxas said:
This is why good public transportation is needed in the us
Click to expand...

Public transportation relieves congestion if it is a separate entity (i.e. Light Rail). Buses often don't relieve congestion, because they use the roads. If ridership is low, they can actually be a detriment to traffic. Clinton/Gore used a nice approach, by offering federal matching funds to cities, for Light Rail projects. Most light rail systems were built during this era. The Denver Light Rail is considered a massive success story, with ridership that exceeds all projections. This isn't the case in all cities, but there are many other successful systems that were built during that time.
 
Media_Truth said:
Public transportation relieves congestion if it is a separate entity (i.e. Light Rail). Buses often don't relieve congestion, because they use the roads. If ridership is low, they can actually be a detriment to traffic. Clinton/Gore used a nice approach, by offering federal matching funds to cities, for Light Rail projects. Most light rail systems were built during this era. The Denver Light Rail is considered a massive success story, with ridership that exceeds all projections. This isn't the case in all cities, but there are many other successful systems that were built during that time.
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with light rail or public transportation for those that choose to use it but its not for everyone. We need bigger roads to relieve congestion.

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trouble13 said:
Would you support the idea if the roads were privatized with tolls?

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I would support just about anything that was not added to the debt.
 
Moderate Right said:
I would support just about anything that was not added to the debt.
Click to expand...
In principle i agree especially considering washingtons track record. I do think there are times you gotts spend money to make money.

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BrewerBob said:
What I believe is going to solve the traffic problem in the future is everyone driving networked smart cars. Imagine all of us in self drivings cars and all of those cars communicating with each other. It is us humans and our slow reaction times that slow things down. But that is a good ways into the future.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you city folks will understand that crowded cities don't necessarily provide the most pleasant life style. Ah. A car just passed. That is the third one in the last hour. One of them was a fedex truck actually. We have public transportation out here. We see two school buses each day.
 
trouble13 said:
Nothing wrong with light rail or public transportation for those that choose to use it but its not for everyone. We need bigger roads to relieve congestion.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

A friend of mine, from Denver, said to me, "I'm real happy with the Light Rail. I don't use it, but it's reduced the traffic substantially, and now I can get where I'm going quicker." Whatever works for you. More lanes don't always solve the problem. If exits and entrances don't support the flow, they just create more congestion at these bottlenecks. And some type of tax increase will have to pay for it.
 
Media_Truth said:
Public transportation relieves congestion if it is a separate entity (i.e. Light Rail). Buses often don't relieve congestion, because they use the roads. If ridership is low, they can actually be a detriment to traffic. Clinton/Gore used a nice approach, by offering federal matching funds to cities, for Light Rail projects. Most light rail systems were built during this era. The Denver Light Rail is considered a massive success story, with ridership that exceeds all projections. This isn't the case in all cities, but there are many other successful systems that were built during that time.
Click to expand...

wonder how beneficial will light rail be when there is a massive fleet of driverless vehicles waiting to be hired
 
trouble13 said:
In principle i agree especially considering washingtons track record. I do think there are times you gotts spend money to make money.

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Obama never spent one dime. Every time he wanted to add money to the deficit he called it an investment.
 
Media_Truth said:
A friend of mine, from Denver, said to me, "I'm real happy with the Light Rail. I don't use it, but it's reduced the traffic substantially, and now I can get where I'm going quicker." Whatever works for you. More lanes don't always solve the problem. If exits and entrances don't support the flow, they just create more congestion at these bottlenecks. And some type of tax increase will have to pay for it.
Click to expand...
I cant see riding the light rail on my way home from buying a couch

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Moderate Right said:
Obama never spent one dime. Every time he wanted to add money to the deficit he called it an investment.
Click to expand...
Ok i laughed

Touchee

I have no argument to yoir rebuttal

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Praxas said:
This is why good public transportation is needed in the us
Click to expand...

Maybe work on 24/7 cities.

I don't see it as a failure. Rather it is an indication of the people's personal wealth. For such a high percentage of our population to be on the road longer than our world sister cities.
 
trouble13 said:
I cant see riding the light rail on my way home from buying a couch

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How about a three tier toolbox with wheels...
 
trouble13 said:
I cant see riding the light rail on my way home from buying a couch

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I can't fit one in my Honda Fit either.
 
justabubba said:
wonder how beneficial will light rail be when there is a massive fleet of driverless vehicles waiting to be hired
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand your point? Are you talking about putting taxi drivers out of work, or something to that effect?
 
Media_Truth said:
I'm not sure I understand your point? Are you talking about putting taxi drivers out of work, or something to that effect?
Click to expand...

i am speaking of the coming era of driverless vehicles
yes, they will put taxi drivers out of work
uber drivers, too
and truck drivers
but my question pondered how effective will the expensive light rail infrastructure be once driverless vehicles are widely available as an alternative source of transportation from point of origin to desired destination; something not possible via light rail
 
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