Comment by rconti | Hacker News Reader

Comment by rconti | Hacker News Reader

> Without the protests, the Bay Bridge would be connected to the Golden Gate Bridge via the Embarcadero Freeway, and other freeways would extend to the Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods. Say what you want about people who block new modern housing projects, but I believe San Francisco is a better city because these big developments have been blocked in the past.

Well, that makes one person who thinks San Francisco is a better city because at least two of its surface streets are clogged with "freeway" traffic 24/7.

Not building a freeway doesn't change the fact that people are driving Highway 101 (and Interstate 280) through it. It just reduces the average speed, lowers the efficiency of the trip, and increases pollution.

Highways aren't the only solution to traffic. You can also move that traffic underground (though hopefully without all the graft and pain of something like Boston's Big Dig), or build more and more frequent public transit.

Sure, there are people whose sole reason to be on Van Ness/Lombard (101) or 19th Ave (280 to Golden Gate Bridge) is to drive through the city and not to it, but I'd guess the majority of it is local traffic that could be replaced with better transit (and even if not the majority, certainly enough to make a difference).

People drive in and through SF because the alternatives suck. As much as I love using Uber/Lyft, they've undeniably made traffic in SF worse.

Sure, in fact I'd welcome an underground freeway through SF.

Has anyone introduced you to the concept of 'induced demand'? https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/09/citylab-unive...

Sure, but the 2 major components I can think of -- building more housing that would use that freeway, and shifting trips from transit to cars -- are not things that are likely to happen with trips from the Peninsula to Marin, where there are no transit options, and where housing is already restricted.

While a freeway may have increased throughput it doesn't tackle the main issue: Public transport is lacking and could reduce traffic drastically if planned well.

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