I came to make different comments, but I cannot let the venom of the auto-crats above go unchallenged.
I sometimes cross one of the bridges, usually by car, and usually with more than 1 person in said car.
But if I look around, I see that something like 80% of the vehicles are single-occupancy autos, pickups, or SUVs. This seems especially true when the traffic is heavy. All those cars, getting in each others' way.
Perhaps the "This is MY road" attitude expressed above contributes to the terrible performance of a road full of cars when it gets crowded.
By contrast, the most jam-packed commuter train in Japan or China moves at about the same speed as an empty one: it just takes a little longer in the station to get people on/off.
Also by contrast, rush-hour bike roads at some universities and some cities are very resilient over a wide range of crowding conditions. The riders are smart enough to use more of the pavement when they are all heading the same way (e.g. onto campus in the AM), but still accommodating when an occasional person comes the other way. Bicyclist are also smart enough to reduce lane-width when crowded. The crowd slows down somewhat, but rarely comes to a standstill, unlike cars.
Long-range bike paths rarely even experience such crowding.
I'd like to see a self-centered toll: payed only by vehicles with single drivers (and not by small vehicles such as motorcycles). Perhaps the cost and ignominious waiting would convince some of the self-centered to join the community.
A small amount of community effort for arranging carpooling could greatly reduce the number of cars making the crossing.
We should do that much regardless of any new bridge construction.
Perhaps some people would have an opportunity to meet others. Single-occupancy cars pretty much prevent communication.
If we really wanted to discourage anti-social behavior, the fee should go up sharply with the wasteful mass of the vehicle. An 7000 lb SUV does pollute more than well-tuned small car. (True commercial vehicles on return trips excepted)
.thumbnail.jpg "A Study of Orange Crush")
Autos bring out the worst in people
I came to make different comments, but I cannot let the venom of the auto-crats above go unchallenged.
I sometimes cross one of the bridges, usually by car, and usually with more than 1 person in said car.
But if I look around, I see that something like 80% of the vehicles are single-occupancy autos, pickups, or SUVs. This seems especially true when the traffic is heavy. All those cars, getting in each others' way.
Perhaps the "This is MY road" attitude expressed above contributes to the terrible performance of a road full of cars when it gets crowded.
By contrast, the most jam-packed commuter train in Japan or China moves at about the same speed as an empty one: it just takes a little longer in the station to get people on/off.
Also by contrast, rush-hour bike roads at some universities and some cities are very resilient over a wide range of crowding conditions. The riders are smart enough to use more of the pavement when they are all heading the same way (e.g. onto campus in the AM), but still accommodating when an occasional person comes the other way. Bicyclist are also smart enough to reduce lane-width when crowded. The crowd slows down somewhat, but rarely comes to a standstill, unlike cars.
Long-range bike paths rarely even experience such crowding.
I'd like to see a self-centered toll: payed only by vehicles with single drivers (and not by small vehicles such as motorcycles). Perhaps the cost and ignominious waiting would convince some of the self-centered to join the community.
A small amount of community effort for arranging carpooling could greatly reduce the number of cars making the crossing.
We should do that much regardless of any new bridge construction.
Perhaps some people would have an opportunity to meet others. Single-occupancy cars pretty much prevent communication.
If we really wanted to discourage anti-social behavior, the fee should go up sharply with the wasteful mass of the vehicle. An 7000 lb SUV does pollute more than well-tuned small car. (True commercial vehicles on return trips excepted)