You wrote:
“ as something that will improve safety, pollution and traffic conditions.”
It will do nine of these things.
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I have lived in cities with a “World-class” mass transit system, Hong Kong and NYC (Well across the river in Eeew Jersey). And one with “World Class” Freeways, Houston. Hong Kong and NYC, both have worse traffic and are harder to get around in, than Houston, hands down, no contest. Mass transit systems don’t seem to equate to less traffic. Neither is mass transit faster than driving or really any cheaper than driving either.
I’ve lived in cities with middling mass transit systems, “Dallas” and a terrible mass transit system in Houston, Houston is easier to drive in than Dallas.
If it weren’t for aggressive drivers in trucks the size of main battle tanks, Houston would be a breeze to drive in.
“Mass transit systems don’t seem to equate to less traffic. Neither is mass transit faster than driving or really any cheaper than driving either.”
I too have lived in NYC while at University worked as a line chef in midtown as well. I have friends who are now family in Bushwick and spend weeks at a time in the city still.
From LaGuardia to SOHO via car took 2.5 hours from a 2 pm airport pick up and cost $11 bucks just in tolls to take the RFK back on the island.Then $75 parking no in and outs per 24 hour spot. While staying in SOHO for a couple days over the 9/11 anniversary in 2023. A 7 day unlimited metro pass is $34 for unlimited rides and transfers bus/metro. You can get from the SOHO Grand to LaGuardia in 52 minutes and $2.90 if you don’t have a $7 Metropass via the N line and the M60 SBS. No comparisons in cost or time transit is both cheaper and significantly faster im time.
I also work out of the energy corridor in Houston, I take my Tesla with FSD from Big D at least 8 times per year to Houston for clients, continuing Ed, and training. Houston motorways are traffic nightmares at any time other than the middle of the night. This is why the FSD gets taken it will follow the car in front faithfully stop and go stop and go stop and go inch my mind numbing inch. Only the toll lanes down 10 make it remotely acceptable to drive during any time from 530 am till 830 pm the “freelanes” a reale parking lots then. Houston is also a not zoned nightmare of suburban sprawl it’s the literal textbook definition of suburban sprawl Houston is used as the example in nearly every urban planning textbook of what not to do. You couldn’t build out a worse example of sprawl if you tried.