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QuoteAmbitious light rail projects in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Phoenix underscore a paradox of auto-centric cities: As traffic worsens, even taxpayers who love their cars look favorably on public transit.
As in Denver, voters in these highway-dependant cities have approved massive rail arterials largely as inoculants against congestion. Whether their lines will actually unsnarl roadways is still a matter of debate; research has suggested that even with infrastructure alternatives in place, growing populations tend to fill freeways. But some ridership patterns, especially among students, present good news for lovers of both public transit and wide-open roads.
Los Angeles regularly tops national "worst traffic" lists, but a recent report assembled by George Washington University and Smart Growth America gave it a new spot of honor this year: One of the future's most walkable cities.
That's partly because of rail, according to Marc Littman with L.A. Metro.
full article: http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/light-rail-city-traffic-congestion-la-salt-lake-city-phoenix
QuoteBut some research questions whether rail lines actually do thin roadway congestion. A much-cited study published by the Journal of Transport Geography examined data from light rail in four British cities over 10 years, concluding that train ridership comes mainly from buses instead of cars.
...And the people in the buses come from?
QuoteThe study also pointed out that as some cars left the road for public transit, others took their place.
...So just imagine that none of the cars left the roadway and those 'others' representing new growth could all fight for lane space together. Put another way, trying to get two cars into a single parking space is a pretty tight fit, but take one car away and the proposition becomes more tenable.
I lived in San Francisco for a year and didn't need a car at all. I could take Muni/BART to just about everywhere I wanted to go. Personally, I really liked it and I saved so much money without having a car. No need to buy gas, insurance, or parking fees! At least here in Jacksonville, I don't have to pay for parking (unless I go downtown during business hours).
Read a study the other day that widening roadways in a city actually seems to increase the traffic. People will fill in the empty lanes with more cars (or more trips per car). Sometimes, I think the only way to encourage any kind of mass transit is to restrict the number of lanes and the speed limits on local roads. Until you make it more difficult to get from point A to point B in your personal auto, people are just gonna keep firing up the old jalopy, regardless of cost.