Quote:
Originally Posted by Caliplanner1
Large cat you also need alternative highway solutions! Remember, mass transit cannot move industrial/large scale consumer goods (hence putting the regional economy at risk via gridlock on the city's only East-West arterial hghway)!
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The problem is commuters, not goods movement. Did you read the article? Most of the truckers avoid the rush hours anyway, the congestion is being caused by commuters. According to the article if you could divert just 400 cars a day then traffic would go back to the way it was before all this recent congestion started.
Just for reference, spending $100 million on just the interchange, even if it did relieve the immediate problem, is tantamount to spending $250,000 for each of those extra 400 vehicles, the vast majority of which have a single occupant. Do we really want to subsidize drivers at that rate?
Sorry if that sounds incendiary - I actually do believe that the interchange is way past due for being upgraded. But I think it's important to stop and think a bit about the best way to spend our money. Before we start talking about a new bridge I think we really, really ought to consider the tolling option, at least during peak times. That, and more transit options. Imagine the transit improvements we could make for $250,000 per person!