Any long term ideas to relieve traffic congestion?

Question

Any long term ideas to relieve traffic congestion?

Answer 1

USE existing public transportation so the fees you pay can be re-invested to improve those systems.  Accept the extra time and inconvenience in the short term for a long term improvement.

Answer 2

flying cars! I am completely serious.

Answer 3

Get a bike--of some kind or a scooter.  How about a new Vespa?     Then start the dynamic going that only old f*rts drive cars.  Cars are not cool anymore.  We live on a dying planet,  do your share.  

Hey,  it worked to make smoking a second class activity.  It usually takes something off beat to cause a shift in consciousness.  Logic rarely works.

Answer 4

more public transportation?

in most european countries, their entire transit budget isnt invested in roads like america.

increase cost of owning a vehicle. (controlling taxes and gas prices?)

Answer 5

Build mass transit, tax sprawl, stop paying for highway construction out of general funds and start moving to toll roads.

Answer 6

I would say improved public transportation, however, some people do not like public transportation. Maybe more businesses should stagger their hours so everyone is not trying to get into work at the same time. Maybe we should all be given raises so we only have to work once or twice a week and that way everyone is not traveling to work on the same days. Honestly, I am not sure what can be done to improve traffic.

Answer 7

Denver's got the LiteRail train system.  i live across the street from the eastern most station.  Its great for not only congestion...but also, i can get like 10 friends together, ride the train downtown Denver and get wasted...then ride it back home...no driving, and tons-o-fun!!!

Answer 8

If I was a mayor of a city, I'd ask a few questions.

can the employers in my downtown stagger their starting times so everyone doesn't have to pile on each other to get there at one time?

How many people could work 4 days instead of 5, maybe one day at home?

Then I'd ask the people: can you find jobs closer to home? it's not worth extra money to spend wasted time sitting in traffic and guzzling gas.

Can people work 3-11? 4-12? 5am-2pm?

what ever happened to a true 24 hour society?

I think everyone wants to blame municipalites, but face it, there's too many cars for too small roads, and we have to get people OFF of them, or not on them ALL AT ONCE.

Answer 9

ban cars in cities. Or do what they are doing in  different European cities where they have removed all forms of signals and stuff that stop traffic - so no more traffic lights, or stop signs, round-a-bouts, for all forms of transportation including pedestrians and the cities they do that have less accidents and congestion cause people become more aware of the situation around them

Answer 10

Invest in a bike.

Answer 11

Stand out in the middle of the street and curse at everyone. GO, your wasting time.

Answer 12

Beam me up, Scotty!!!  

Sorry.. .just couldn't resist.  

Seattle made real headlines in 1962 with the Monorail  System built for the World's Fair... the only problem with that was they never did anything with it.  It still operates from Seattle Center to Downtown Seattle...  a total of about 1.5 miles.  

Now that the metro area is in total gridlock, they are trying to upgrade the Bus, Light Rail and regular rail systems, but with little success.  They also have no room to expand I-5 through downtown due to the fact that some wise politician decided that building a convention center over the top of I-5 was a valuable use of space.  Duh?

New ideas???  Denver finally bit the bullet and built T-Rex... a light rail system that should improve things there.  Los Angeles tried subways, with about as much success as the Monorail in Seattle.  The only way you will get the folks in Southern Cal to give up their cars is to pry their dead fingers from the steering wheels.  :-}  (just kidding)

Unfortunately, we are a very mobile society.  We like the freedom of having our own wheels.  We go when we want and come back on the same gridlocked roads and then complain about all the traffic...  Gee....

Where do we go from here???  

Scotty????  Any luck with that transporter yet???