Quote:
Originally Posted by Gort
In New York, Chicago and San Diego, the cities I know best, there are good PT systems in place and they still have made it accessible to vehicles. In Chicago and New York there are even very good PT systems to get from the burbs to the city. In fact both can be accomodated. Whether you want them to or not is the question not whether it can be done.
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I doubt they have the share of PT users for example Vienna has.
Its of course possible to have both, an extremely extensive PT infrastructure as well as car infrastructure. But its stupid to build infrastructure in way that it supersedes the overall demand a few times. After all you have an overall demand, and you have to serve it somehow. You can choose between car and PT. (among others like bikes, pedestrian movement that should be not underestimated in its potential etc). To build both in dimensions that they could nearly serve the complete demand or at least 2/3 of it alone (what you need in order to reach Viennese PT dimensions), would mean you have a huge overcapacity what would be in fact nothing else than wasting gigantic amounts of city space and money for infrastructure that would be thousand times better spent for other purposes the city might lack.
And to your last paragraph. Yes thats really the point. If we should want that kind of a thing. And thats what I said. I can not see how there are many in Europe who would want such an extensive city road network US cities have. And there are lot of very good reasons why they don't want it.
Just because something is possible does not mean that its really "progress". In Vienna cars only have a share of 33% of the total traffic and I dont see this as lack of developement, no, I am damn proud on this number. Its not a lack of progress, its quite the opposite, it IS the progress.
PS:
You should not get a wrong picture. Vienna is of course also accessible by car as well. Even though only insanes for example enter the 1st district by car without living their or a very good other reason. But you would not drive with your car through Disneyland either, would you?
