For the Masters of the Universe who object to Bike Share and all the changes that go with it. You get around be personal car and that's the way you like it. We get that. It’s cool. Follow me below the twisted tube and let me tell you how Bike Share makes you life better.
The biggest contributor for traffic is cars. It’s noticeable when pedestrians or bicyclists block traffic or cause a nuisance because that is news. It’s unusual and so gets noticed compared to the constant inconvenience other cars pose.
Something often overlooked is what happens when more people ride bike, walk, or use transit. Less people drive. Now remember when I said the biggest contributor for traffic is cars. You might dispute this, but try looking ahead the next time you are stopped unexpectedly. The cars will be making up most of the blockage. Pedestrians & bicyclists can go around or through. Cars end up stuck blocking even more traffic.
What happens when less people drive? For one there are fewer cars in your way. Roads are less congested. End points are easier to stop at or park and get dropped off at.
Better pedestrian & bicycle infrastructure makes driving better too.
In New York City only about 46% of the population owns cars. You are among the special ones who can afford the expense of car ownership. And as more & more people abandon cars for other means the percentage will continue to go down. By supporting the improvement of pedestrian & bicycle infrastructure you help propel yourself into an increasingly narrower elite.
There will always be some objections to individual pieces of infrastructure. Why place that there? Does the curb need to jut out that far? Is this lane too narrow for comfort? Why is the speed limit so low? These are pieces of the whole. And for the whole to work best sometimes pieces will be inconvenient in one place but make the system smoother & faster.
I expect some of the things you want is a drive that is without a lot of stop & go. Without the honking & noise. Where access is open. But the roads in NYC are overloaded with cars. There isn’t room for the ones there now to get what you want. There will never be enough roads for that. It can’t be built. There is no space and any space created will quickly fill. The best solution for you is to remove some of the existing load. And this is what these pedestrian & bicycle infrastructure projects do. They provide others with safer & easier ways to do their business. Many people will skip the car experience if they have options they like. This will clear up room for you. And also reduce the demand for gas. Take note Supply & Demand followers.
If you want your drive to be better. Then you want less people to drive. Then you want fewer cars on the road. Then you should support those positive actions that move people to other choices.
This was written in response to the griping coming from attitudes displayed in the WSJ article. See diary http://www.dailykos.com/... or http://www.streetsblog.org/... I'm always amazed at how the positives get overlooked. I don't mean the positives for us little people, but the positives for the 1% & wannabe 1%.