Over the past few months I’ve absolutely had it with my neighborhood being sandwiched between an interstate highway and a stroad with no sidewalks. Literally none of my close friends live within a mile radius of my house, so they’re almost always hanging out with someone else!
I just happened to see on another urbanist RUclips video that according to a recent study people who live in dense, walkable neighborhoods have three times as many friends as people who live in isolating car centric areas. The built environment is literally contributing to social isolation!
@@colinneagle4495this is a why Americans are so evil/psychotic half the time. They live in isolated homes away from everyone with loud/rude neighbors... Because everyone is far apart and they think it's ok to be this way. We have been conditioned to BELIEVE THIS IS NORMAL. It is NOT. Cars are the PROBLEM and I am out of this country in 1 year. Can't wait to have a store on my bottom level for my flat. It's a brick flat so it's quiet, you don't have to have loud noise just because it's an apartment/flat! Americans will never learn though.
A great line, agreed... so great, Adam Something made a similar remark in his video on free parking: "For those who are privileged, equality is like oppression to them."
Yup. This perfectly explains the whole “war on cars” narrative, as if having alternative methods of transit will lead to drivers being oppressed somehow. Persecution complex at its finest.
No, it is a lack of public transportation and everybody is in big vehicles or vehicles in general. We don't really need to fix our cities considering that average commute to work is 12 km meanwhile the Dutch are 24 km away from work.
@@AbrahamCasillas-t3ozoning is still very much the issue. When there is mixed use development, then you can just walk and not have to drive and contribute to traffic. Zoning laws in the US favor big businesses and contribute to urban sprawl which means more cars on the road and more traffic.
@@jordanpulciani1526 Factories shouldn't be right next to housing, but beyond preventing some basic incompatibilities, zoning tends to be too detailed. Are corner markets truly a blight on residential neighborhoods? Low height limits imposed by zoning are the reason we have massive surface parking lots around retail areas. If the zoning was taller, the land is too valuable to waste on surface parking.
I’m so sick of car culture. Not only they are helping slowly klll the planet they are miserable experience. Sitting in traffic nonstop with rude drivers causing crashes every 5 minutes is so much fun. 😵💫 That’s if you can even afford a car in this economy. We need to move on from this nonsense years ago.
Cars cause so many crashes it's absurd. If any product had the death rate of cars it would be yanked from the shelves. And so many emergency medical resources tied up with car crashes, increasing the cost of healthcare and limiting access for everyone else. Then you factor in so much land wasted on car infrastructre increasing the cost of remaining land, sprawl eating up what used to be farmland increasing the cost of food, cars destroying the environment causing pollution microplastics and heat island effect... When you look at our issues, cars are a major common cause. We can't afford car dependence.
The point about induced demand applying to anything including public transit is spot on, in my city there was a central boulevard where tens of bus routes were substituted by a Bus Rapid Transit corridor, and not only traffic improved but the authorities found out the usage increased year by year. This effect has also been replicated in our main ring highway, where the ridership forecast was blown out of the water and is now the most used part of the transit system apart of the light rail lines.
Welcome to America. They do everything crazy over there. I am being serious, I moved to Russia and there's busses / trains / private van taxis everywhere and I couldn't be happier. I even got a flat with a store at the bottom. It's way better than a terrifying 40 min commute with giant lifted trucks meant to hurt people
A5 Frankfurt - Darmstadt has 8 lanes, no speed limit, AADT of 150K, and no traffic (except for accidents). I-10 Katy Freeway, 20+ lanes, speed limit of 60 mph or so, and tons of traffic & accidents. Yet I can't tell that Germany is a well-functioning country (imo Eastern Europe is more advanced now in some areas, and they aren't slowing down at all), but Germans have at least any alternatives to being stuck in traffic jams - maybe DB sucks, but at least it's there.
@@RooiGevaar19 It's not exactly true what you're saying. The A5 that has 8 lanes also gets stuck during rush hour traffic. Less stuck than the US though but also that's explainable. The difference is that Germans are more disciplined in driving making the fact that it has no speed limit possible and the Germans have more highways around their cities. Look at Frankfurt am Main and you will see that around 15 autobahns are surrounding the area. (Mainz and Hanau included). While if you look at Charlotte, a way bigger city, it only has around 5 highways surrounding the area. Planning is a more important factor than highway size!
I wish we, ordinary citizens, collectively didn't comply with our car centric design, got rid of our cars, and overwhelmingly flaunted its design by choosing to bike and take public transportation. We see this on open streets events like Ciclavia here in LA, where a few miles of streets are closed to cars and people on bikes, on foot, and other wheels take over the streets in the thousands. They're awesome and inspire people to demand more open streets. Let's just keep doing that until we have lots of permanent open streets.
We have to convince our government to start providing bike, friendly and walking friendly alternatives, along with transit. Once you have those alternatives, people will do it because it’s better.
It's a deathtrap biking in AZ. There's no protection for the biker and it's genuinely TERRIFYING thanks to massive pickups used as daily drivers. America is such an evil country that wants people to get hurt.
@@chrismd00 _Good luck. With that._ The car may be the least efficient mode of ground transportation, but it is also _the most profitable_ mode of ground transportation for those at the top. And those at the top are going to go to any lengths necessary to keep car-centric societies car-centric.
Car concentric design is the result of consumer choices. Nobody is building extra lanes to "fix traffic." Extra lanes are added to meet a demand that is not currently being served. When a new highway lane is immediately filled with cars that is latent demand meaning the demand was always there. It just wasn't being met. If you build a highway and it isn't being used then that would be waste of resources. Same applies to transit. A train or bus line that isn't being used is a waster of resources. This happens all the time in North America. The trains and busses are empty but the highways are full. What kind of signal is that sending. People want more highways. They are voting for more highways by using them. I don't drive, nor do I own a car but I recognize highways are not the problem. Cars are not the problem. People who choose those methods of transport, now that is the problem. People on the highway complaining about being stuck in traffic are not stuck in traffic. They are traffic. Voting for the empty promises of some politician is not going to change anything. Nobody is going to solve this problem for you. Vote with your feet, vote with your wallet. Be the change you want to see in this world. Get a job where you can work from home and live near a grocery store. Then you can leave the rat race behind.
Also in some areas in the summer when you have so much concrete for parking and traffic, it really heats up the city and comparison to less traffic lanes and more walkable places and bikeable places with some shrubs and trees
"Build it, and they will come" is 100% a fact. Living in Vaughan, I used to always drive to downtown. But ever since they built the Subway, I have been using it to go downtown with my family and haven't used the car since it was opened.
I say we delete two lanes from the 401 and install a rail system along its entire length. Nothing will get people out of their cars faster than seeing a train consistently pass them every day.
> Nothing will get people out of their cars faster than seeing a train consistently pass them every day. I'm not sure about that. In the Netherlands, a high-speed rail line resides next to the A16 motorway. The place is still clogged with automobiles, despite trains flashing by. When I am in the train and see people pointing to traffic jams on the motorway, stating that by using the train, they chose the correct means of transportation, I smilefully reply: "Those people over there left their homes later than I did, and will arrive at their destinations earlier than I will."
@@oscarvanschijndel4989but how much money and headaches will they be saving and avoiding by not having to pay for gas/insurance/tax and maintenance for that car? I think It depends on personal circumstances on which is more preferable
Except that the remaining highway will still suck to live next to, so either not enough people will be close to the train stops for it to make sense, or they will build a bunch of housing next to the highway train stops and subject everybody to the pollution, noise, and crashes.
I dread driving or taking a bus too Toronto to visit my son who lives there because of the traffic congestion. Rail is preferred but quite expensive, so I visit less often
I live in Ottawa, so when I travel to Toronto I can travel by: car via the 407, Bus via the Gardner reconcinstuction, Rail to Union station. A long weekend trip is simply not worth the time or the cost. Toronto's traffic problems are not unique, try travelling in Moscow or Beijing. @@AshgabatKetchumov
@@AshgabatKetchumov That 10$ pass can be bought on statutory holidays too. They should expand it to be bought on game days too because it's silly how so many people drive into the city to catch a Jays, Raptors or Leafs game despite the fact all of our stadiums like Skydome and BMO field are either steps to and visible from the train station (Exhibition) or in the case of Skydome directly connected to Union station, which EVERY GO line connects to. It's much cheaper to take the train to catch a game as opposed to paying the expensive parking costs of stadiums
The major problem is that car drivers aren't compelled to pay for the cost they impose on taxpayers. In general, fuel taxes cover highways - not municipal roads. Those are funded with property taxes paid equally (on average) among pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders and car drivers who occupy dozens of times the space. That subsidy to drivers doesn't even factor in the high costs of air pollution, climate change, sedentary lifestyles, fatalities and chronic debilitation not covered by car insurance. Make drivers pay their true costs and there would be an immediate and persistent decline in car-dependence.
I also like to say that it's hypocritical that a big reason car people fight against non-car infrastructure is because of taxes, but car centric design is more expensive. Watch Not Just Bikes on it.
One of the aspects of "Car Culture" was that it evolved in an environment of cheap cars that owners could do most repairs and maintenance themselves. Fuel was cheap. Insurance was cheap. That's not today's cars. Insurance is expensive, fuel is expensive. Planned Obsolescence has gone from annoying to hyper drive. Repair and maintenance costs are insane. With the way software works, you may say you "own" your car but you don't. While BMW had to reverse it's scheme to have heated seats and other features as a subscription service, you know it's coming. One pays tens of thousands of dollars for a vehicle, and one doesn't even really own it.
20 years ago our downtown removed a highway/overpass over the river in our downtown area. It is now a beautiful park centered around a pedestrian bridge overlooking a waterfall where the highway once was. I am forever thankful that those folks were able to envision such an incredible future space for that location.
Thank you for your thoughtful, impeccably presented video. Your arguments are solid. Let's hope that cities become well-organised, attractive, and flourishing destinations. After all, who really wants to see cars, car parks, wide roads, and motorways everywhere? Yuck!
> A world class rail system is what we need. 1. Switzerland has a world class rail system. And still, Switzerland has the same automobile possession rate as Germany. 2. The Netherlands has a great rail system, with intercity trains running up to every 10 minutes. They also have the best cycling infrastructure in the world. And still, it has the world's highest number of private automobiles per square mile. I think both have to do with the fact that CH/NL are also great places to drive, with well-maintained vehicles and infrastructure. After all, it's all about having alternatives to driving.
Maybe more public transportation can change. And also can help the elderly, disable, and ppl who cannot afford cars. Also can reduce the cars accidents.
Excellent reporting, you have a bright future! Keep bringing your perspective, personality and humor to RUclips videos. Love your storytelling because it's so authentic, genuine and real. Great work, my friend!
great video! keep spreading this message. even in Australia this is a massive issue even in major towns and cities that have absolutely no excuse for better transport in particular rail infrastructure
I heard Denver Colorado has been having slow zones for their passenger rail. I wonder if bad tracks are part of that? Addmittedly, I haven't kept up since I don't live there.
I think an important aspect of this is the "bad neighbor" issue. I know a lot of people who choose the car-dependent suburb because they've had horrible experiences with crap neighbors in denser settings like apartments or condos. I've been cussed out and kept awake all night by loud parties by more people while living in an apartment than I have living in a suburb, that's for sure. More people in a small space can potentially result in higher tensions, especially when so many people are chronically online and don't know how to actually interact with real human beings anymore. I'm all on-board with denser living space that support multi-use zoning and excellent public transit, but I think that has to go hand-in-hand with the social expectation that you have to be a decent neighbor.
There has to be control on people using illegal drugs on the streets because then it makes people too afraid to use public transport or walk along the sidewalks.
I agree with you that we need to make a more respectful society too. To also respect and not destroy or trash public spaces and services like trains, and to not steal bikes. Some people are afraid dense cities have more crime. I heard some apartments in places like America are not built soundproof. Soundproofing should be done. You talked about terrible neighbors in dense cities, but there are many videos of road rage. Some drivers even get out of their cars on the streets and assault or physically fight each other. So people talking about bad urban neighbors should think about that too. Some people said they felt safer in dense cities with more eyes in the streets. There's a reason why empty suburbs is the setting in creepy liminal horror.
Hi Flurf, love the video! I see some NotJustBikes inspiration. I completely agree with everything you've said in the video, but I feel like you may have missed the point of why Canada is in this position. Canada's housing market is pretty unique compared to most countries. Even the states, which is similar, isn't the exact same. There is a sort of house investment culture in Canada. I saw a statistic somewhere that said a really high amount of Canadian homes are owned by normal people looking to make a profit. This is in and of itself is a whole other can of worms. But the the thing is, these people vote much more than any other group (the other group being non-home owners). This creates a conflict of interest. If we want to reduce cost of housing, add more alternatives to driving, make more mixed-use developments, etc., we need to convince these people to vote for our side. However, the investment these people made on their houses, normally the biggest investment of their life, is going to drop a lot. Believe me when I say, even these people want housing prices to decrease, but they don't really understand the implications. Because they don't really want more urbanist developments like what you and I want, we're going to continue to see people voting for these politicians like Ford. I guess there are really two options: a) Convince these home owners to vote for the side that will actually improve society b) Convince more young people to vote or advocate for what will actually improve society
Thanks for touching on the impact of ramming car traffic through cities to the point where they can't even get a goddamn crosswalk, and the one they get needs crossing guards to be marginally safe.
Although congestion pricing has mostly positive effects, businesses in downtown areas will suffer because stuff being brought on trucks will now be more expensive. Currently, in NYC and London, pricing is the same or extra for trucks.
Nyc's intended pricing for trucks was $24 to $36. The biggest trucks hold like 22 tons of cargo. So like $1.50 extra per ton you have delivered if you're using a full truck load.
RIP DOWN THE GARDNER! Open the waterfront. Improve the MGT (Toronto's waterfront trail) to turn it from a multi-use recreational trail to an actual bike highway. Ahhhhh! I'm breathing better already!
There’s also new subdivisions and apartments built along the new highway that weren’t there before for example. I’m talking about outer Orlando Florida.
It always made me laugh when, whenever the mildest traffuc calning measure (making streets access only or bus only, diverting traffuc away from the main street, or just restricting on-street parking) was suggested, it was the shopkeepers and Local Traders that were among the most up in arms, crying that their businesses would die if there was any reduction in the amount of traffic passing by! 😢 As if every single customer they had was always able to park right outside the door, or people passing by in their Cars 🚗 would spot a cozy bar or restaurant, park somewhere in a car park somewhere else in town, and then go back to that particular restaurant. They get much more passing trade from people walking past who have time to look in there, think "that looks nice", browse the menu in the window, and so on and so forth. (Not to mention the environment being so much more pleasant without traffic thundering past, making the tables shake, or a permanent jam of stationary traffuc right outside). People, even if they'd benefit immensely from traffic reduction, are just so wedded to the "traffic equals prosperity" meme
@@dividedstatesofamerica2520someone with sense would understand that flat congestion tolle like in new york overwhelmingly affected rich people, because poor people inherently work in suburbs our outer city districts more often. Most cities have rich downtowns with high paying office jobs.
I would like to know the effects of building more parking garages and closing streets. In my little city there is no way to get to the city center without a vehicle, but there is no place to put a vehicle without paying more than I want to spend for a place to park. We could build some garages and close some streets for pedestrian and cycle traffic.
I live in midtown Toronto and commute to the west end on DVP/Gardiner, so losing it would definitely not be good for me 😂. But I do agree it is good for society as a whole since the gardiner is so expensive and slow.
The idea is to improve other infrastructure such as trains, trams, bike infrastructure, etc, so that people like you have a viable alternative. Highways would never magically disappear overnight.
I was hit by a car on my electric scooter back in February by a driver failing to yield to pedestrians. That incident opened my eyes to the dangers of the road. Now I’m an activist for safer streets and highly support safe walkable cities. Be careful out there all. ❤
2:20 so you're saying a highway with up to 18 lanes is being outperformed by the recently opened Elizabeth Line? 600,000k daily riders on two tracks, absolutely insane how inefficient and unproductive highway expansions are
I think comparing how much nicer a walkable city looks with highways. It’s really different. Looking at huge highways with many lanes looks depressing compared to a walkable area. !
Even if your walking commute is not that short it's still more enjoyable in a walkable city with many things to look at than driving down long empty asphalt deserts. Even some gamers complained in videos of some open world games being too big and making them commute too long in kind of empty spaces with not much to do or look at.
People choose cars for flexibilty . Even if you work for TTC or Metrolinx the public transit companies with free passes for employees . most employees still drive due to odd times and flexibilty and sometimes bring tools and equipement and sometimes get paid gas money per km . so if you kill the car you kill public transit and many other bussinesses with it .
No one said anything about getting rid of cars, everyone's saying they want cars to not be the ONLY option available. If you build good transit systems then the people who don't need that flexibility and just need a standard low cost train ride everyday can use that and people who need cars can drive cars with less traffic.
8:50 lol. Downtown yonge is 1 lane each way now in spots. But up by the 401, its 3 each. With some on street parking and parking lots, each side of the road.
I would like for this problem to be solved efficiently the only issue is having to reach out to politicians while I have an already busy schedule. When I get home, I don't want to do much else let alone on the weekends. Cars dependency is like a sick cycle car breaks down, mechanic needs to look at it and repair it, you need insurance for it, an updated drivers license, oh and don't forget registration. There probably more I didn't mention, but I'm venting at this point.
I'm fine with congestion pricing as long as motorcycles and Scooters aren't charged. They don't cause the social harms cars do and should be encouraged. Thank you for pointing out how well North York did with revitalizing its yonge strip. Wish that the west end of North York saw the same success with its subways
Just as long as they have decent silencers 😑 Actually look at any big Asian city; they're absolutely infested by swarms of tiny little motorbikes. God knows what the air quality must be like
Great video and explanation of why more lanes is the last thing we need. It's so incredibly fustrating what happened in New York City as congestion pricing just makes too much sense not to be implemented there and in so many other cities infested with cars. It's sad to see Toronto suffering frm some of the same craziness around transportation and urban planning that is so common here in the U.S.
Just imagine a rail network, including high speed rail, connecting Windsor to Ottawa and everything in between. They just ripped out the unused rails in my town, luckily that space will be used for new trails, which is great news for cyclists since our current trails are more recreational than useful. Highway 413 should really be plans for a new train line.
11:50 adding space for traffic is only ever going to increase traffic. removing space for traffic will… i love how you spell it out SO CLEARLY but the politicians just dont gaf 😢
This video about highways seems to be all about cars. Delivery vehicles (mainly trucks) are ignored. They are essential for the thriving of any municipality. If there's any alternative to them, I'd like to know.
If there are fewer cars clogging the roads, trucking can be a lot more efficient. Of course, in many cases there are alternatives. Most towns in North America used to have railway stations that from where cargo could be loaded and unloaded. Cargo trams exist, delivery bikes and mopeds are common around the world. Small electric delivery trucks are becoming increasingly common. There are lots of options for lots of circumstances.
I agree with most everything you said. I do wish you would address the role of "dark money" and lobbyist groups in the making of transportation decisions. In the state where I live, the Road Builders Association is the most powerful lobby there is. Logic and reason lose to big money and corruption.
The fact that we have gotten to the point where automobile traffic is seen as a necessary and inevitable consequence of large population demonstrates how far we have lost the plot to carbrain rot
Also how some car people said how all these traffic accidents and deaths are a necessary evil when it's not. What they said is sick. There are other ways to design cities that are safer. Car centric design didn't even care to maximize safety but was focused on trying to maximize speed for drivers and traffic. Which ironically car centric design caused more traffic.
Build more high speed transit that can move faster than the traffic with fast long distance transit as well that's how you get more people to opt for it than driving. And the nodes need good inter-connection that is timely at all times.
Parking is a bigger issue than highways imo. You can make highways bigger to reduce traffic, but if there isn’t an increase in parking, demand can only be induced so much.
The thinking on the car culture is ass-backwards. For example, in the US, when a tax is proposed for a new highway or existing highway "improvement" (widening), it's called a, 'highway investment", but when a levy is proposed for a new rapid rail line or subway, it's called a, "transit subsidy". Dystopian doublespeak.
I don't think Ontario can be trusted with tolls. I've driven on tolls out east and down in the states and and the toll charges are 1/3 of the 407 tolls.
Hi people, I have a question related to traffic and pedestrians. Here in Bosnia and former Yugoslavia lands there are situations of a driver hitting and often killing pedestrians, it happens often even on cross walks like almost every day now. The comments I see are mostly that these pedestrians are coming out in middle of the street like flies and its their fault. What is wrong with these people and is it the same over there where I can never go and see what real people are like because of papers, viruses, cold war, terrorists, etc, and I must blindly obey/worship the news or I will be declared crazy?
This happens quite a lot in the United States, where walkers are hit by cars and often by SUVs because they’re so high and the drivers are distracted. Also walkers. In fact, I was in downtown Orlando Florida and also downtown West Palm and was almost hit by a car and I was in the crosswalk with the green signal !! Unfortunately in most places in the United States cars are allowed to turn right on red and often they don’t even yield or look the other way for walkers.
What’s really insane is that infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians is way cheaper than car infrastructure, and it lasts much longer with very little maintenance once it’s built, but my neighborhood doesn’t even have a fucking sidewalk.
How this works is easy to see. Just imagine one of the Tokyo train stations with (multi)million passengers per day. Assuming that people prefer driving a car to using the train. If you build a 4 lane highway it will be full. If you add another 4 lanes it will still be full because even that is just a dent in the amount of people. Only with 160 lanes (or whatever the insane number is for rush hour) the highway would be able to manage that many cars. But they would all be stuck trying to get off the highway into the single lane streets.
Yet Another Urbanist talked about how one time there was a very long line of people for a restaurant that stretched out beyond the property of the restaurant. He said imagine how much room it would take if all those people were in cars like in a drive-through. There just wouldn't be room or they would selfishly block streets.
It's funny how the Netherlands is always used as an example yet we have one of the highest uses of cars per capita in Europe and with that, the widest highways in Europe. Our zoning and urban planning is just different and more efficient and we have more public transport than North America. Yet we still have very congested highways and trains that need expansion because... well... our trains AND roads are overloaded.
Then people in the Netherlands need to be convinced to not be as car centric either. And design more walkable cities. Watch Not Just Bikes' video on how trains in Japan move millions of people per day. Maybe watch The Aesthetic City.
@@user-gu9yq5sj7c Not just bikes is the worst example you can have regarding city planning. The guy does not have a city planning degree and gives you a very twisted vision on how public transport works etc. Please educate yourself by not only watching transit promoting youtubers but become objective in your way of thinking. Transit is more complex than you think.
Im a small town albertan. From the outside looking in your biggest problem is mass immigration and you have no place to put the people. The same reason rent in Toronto is 3000$ a month is also why the highways are a cluster fuck. My mortgage on a 1100 ft square home on a double lot in boyle ab is 450$ a month. Mill I work at is 20 minutes away and rarely any traffic
When I look at these giant highways and super-wide roads I picture how many apartment blocks could fit down them. Answer: enough to reduce or solve the housing affordability crisis. housing would be affordable if we had better land use. So how much are cars actually costing us? Especially when it's suburbanites, who get cheap housing outside of the city and then prevent city residents from being able to afford housing by taking up all our land for their car dependency? Safe to say houses would be $200k less or half the price if we developed density and smart land use. THAT is what you are forced to pay to subsidize car drivers. Politics has consequences. Bad land use? Your residents will not be able to afford to live. But we're decades into this hole and shoveling our way out is going to be an uphill battle.
Also cars make it very dangerous for a walker to use a crosswalk since at least in the United States cars are allowed to turn right and they don’t look for the walkers. I was almost hit a few times because of that and I had the green signal to walk.
The US is huge, so there will need to be massive public transport development to even remotely approach the goal of making independent ownership of cars mostly unnecessary. We’d need to make stylish cars affordable to rent for the sorts of times where one is unavoidable, like road-tripping. And also important is making sure that people outside of large cities still have access. I couldn’t stop and visit Chicago last time I passed by because there was nowhere affordable to park and take public transport in, and my large vehicle wouldn’t fit in normal spaces or garages. I wanted to do so many things there, but I just couldn’t make it work for a reasonable price. I personally also want desperately to live in a big city, but I refuse to work 24/7 to afford to buy a place and also will never rent. The cost is too high.
The US is the same size of Europe and China, smaller than Canada, Russia. In any case, this does not matter as 83% of US citizens live in urban areas that covers only 3% of the area of the whole country which means that the area you need to cover with local, regional and intercity fro the urban areas is actually small. BTW, even if it was true the US already has a country wide rail infrastructure that was left in private hands instead of being owned by the state and you also built a nation wide road system, that, unlike rail, is owned by the state (each state and the federal government that financed 90 percent of constructions and finances a larch portion of maintenance costs). Airports and traffic control systems are also owned and operated by state/federal governments and both roads and air travel are heavily subsidized by them so why not rail, which is far more efficient than both of the other main transport means.
Last time I visited to Chicago, I flew there and took public transport and walked to get everywhere. it of course this year visiting someone in the suburbs you might have to take an Uber or something else.
Your argument is not logically sound. You start with stating there is evidence, then put forward a hypothetical situation. Though your example seems quite simple, in what flurf talked about. People would more readily look for other options or pastimes if otherwise they would be stuck in traffic. In other words there would be a reduced demand for certain kinds of trips. Hope that helps.
Just one more video about induced demand... Great work! The moment that made me realise how ingrained the car culture was when I was chatting with my Torontonian uncle "the new mayor rode her bike to her first day at the mayor's office. That's a political move!" Bro, ya gurl is just living her life
Over the past few months I’ve absolutely had it with my neighborhood being sandwiched between an interstate highway and a stroad with no sidewalks. Literally none of my close friends live within a mile radius of my house, so they’re almost always hanging out with someone else!
I just happened to see on another urbanist RUclips video that according to a recent study people who live in dense, walkable neighborhoods have three times as many friends as people who live in isolating car centric areas. The built environment is literally contributing to social isolation!
@@colinneagle4495this is a why Americans are so evil/psychotic half the time. They live in isolated homes away from everyone with loud/rude neighbors... Because everyone is far apart and they think it's ok to be this way.
We have been conditioned to BELIEVE THIS IS NORMAL. It is NOT. Cars are the PROBLEM and I am out of this country in 1 year. Can't wait to have a store on my bottom level for my flat. It's a brick flat so it's quiet, you don't have to have loud noise just because it's an apartment/flat! Americans will never learn though.
I used to live in downtown Toronto and had friends. Now I live in the suburbs and I don't have any. Huh
"When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression."
Honestly one of the best quotes from this video.
gets me every time
A great line, agreed... so great, Adam Something made a similar remark in his video on free parking: "For those who are privileged, equality is like oppression to them."
Yup. This perfectly explains the whole “war on cars” narrative, as if having alternative methods of transit will lead to drivers being oppressed somehow. Persecution complex at its finest.
Sure, until you become accustomed to the privilege of feeling oppressed. Guess what happens to equality then.
Zoning is the biggest issue IMO
Tbf, zoning is still very important. But has to be managed with someone who has the right priorities
No, it is a lack of public transportation and everybody is in big vehicles or vehicles in general. We don't really need to fix our cities considering that average commute to work is 12 km meanwhile the Dutch are 24 km away from work.
@@AbrahamCasillas-t3ozoning is still very much the issue. When there is mixed use development, then you can just walk and not have to drive and contribute to traffic. Zoning laws in the US favor big businesses and contribute to urban sprawl which means more cars on the road and more traffic.
I say to contribute to the car centric desgin when not done right
@@jordanpulciani1526 Factories shouldn't be right next to housing, but beyond preventing some basic incompatibilities, zoning tends to be too detailed. Are corner markets truly a blight on residential neighborhoods? Low height limits imposed by zoning are the reason we have massive surface parking lots around retail areas. If the zoning was taller, the land is too valuable to waste on surface parking.
I’m so sick of car culture. Not only they are helping slowly klll the planet they are miserable experience. Sitting in traffic nonstop with rude drivers causing crashes every 5 minutes is so much fun. 😵💫 That’s if you can even afford a car in this economy. We need to move on from this nonsense years ago.
Cars cause so many crashes it's absurd. If any product had the death rate of cars it would be yanked from the shelves. And so many emergency medical resources tied up with car crashes, increasing the cost of healthcare and limiting access for everyone else. Then you factor in so much land wasted on car infrastructre increasing the cost of remaining land, sprawl eating up what used to be farmland increasing the cost of food, cars destroying the environment causing pollution microplastics and heat island effect... When you look at our issues, cars are a major common cause. We can't afford car dependence.
When you invent painless and fast teleportion powers please tell the rest. Otherwise we're stuck with cars. @@Ella-g2m
The point about induced demand applying to anything including public transit is spot on, in my city there was a central boulevard where tens of bus routes were substituted by a Bus Rapid Transit corridor, and not only traffic improved but the authorities found out the usage increased year by year. This effect has also been replicated in our main ring highway, where the ridership forecast was blown out of the water and is now the most used part of the transit system apart of the light rail lines.
I am from germany and these much laines are very Stupid and unnecessary
Welcome to America. They do everything crazy over there. I am being serious, I moved to Russia and there's busses / trains / private van taxis everywhere and I couldn't be happier. I even got a flat with a store at the bottom.
It's way better than a terrifying 40 min commute with giant lifted trucks meant to hurt people
A5 Frankfurt - Darmstadt has 8 lanes, no speed limit, AADT of 150K, and no traffic (except for accidents). I-10 Katy Freeway, 20+ lanes, speed limit of 60 mph or so, and tons of traffic & accidents. Yet I can't tell that Germany is a well-functioning country (imo Eastern Europe is more advanced now in some areas, and they aren't slowing down at all), but Germans have at least any alternatives to being stuck in traffic jams - maybe DB sucks, but at least it's there.
@@RooiGevaar19 It's not exactly true what you're saying. The A5 that has 8 lanes also gets stuck during rush hour traffic. Less stuck than the US though but also that's explainable. The difference is that Germans are more disciplined in driving making the fact that it has no speed limit possible and the Germans have more highways around their cities. Look at Frankfurt am Main and you will see that around 15 autobahns are surrounding the area. (Mainz and Hanau included). While if you look at Charlotte, a way bigger city, it only has around 5 highways surrounding the area. Planning is a more important factor than highway size!
I wish we, ordinary citizens, collectively didn't comply with our car centric design, got rid of our cars, and overwhelmingly flaunted its design by choosing to bike and take public transportation. We see this on open streets events like Ciclavia here in LA, where a few miles of streets are closed to cars and people on bikes, on foot, and other wheels take over the streets in the thousands. They're awesome and inspire people to demand more open streets. Let's just keep doing that until we have lots of permanent open streets.
We have to convince our government to start providing bike, friendly and walking friendly alternatives, along with transit. Once you have those alternatives, people will do it because it’s better.
It's a deathtrap biking in AZ. There's no protection for the biker and it's genuinely TERRIFYING thanks to massive pickups used as daily drivers. America is such an evil country that wants people to get hurt.
@@chrismd00 _Good luck. With that._ The car may be the least efficient mode of ground transportation, but it is also _the most profitable_ mode of ground transportation for those at the top. And those at the top are going to go to any lengths necessary to keep car-centric societies car-centric.
Car concentric design is the result of consumer choices.
Nobody is building extra lanes to "fix traffic." Extra lanes are added to meet a demand that is not currently being served.
When a new highway lane is immediately filled with cars that is latent demand meaning the demand was always there. It just wasn't being met.
If you build a highway and it isn't being used then that would be waste of resources. Same applies to transit. A train or bus line that isn't being used is a waster of resources. This happens all the time in North America. The trains and busses are empty but the highways are full. What kind of signal is that sending. People want more highways. They are voting for more highways by using them.
I don't drive, nor do I own a car but I recognize highways are not the problem. Cars are not the problem. People who choose those methods of transport, now that is the problem. People on the highway complaining about being stuck in traffic are not stuck in traffic. They are traffic. Voting for the empty promises of some politician is not going to change anything. Nobody is going to solve this problem for you. Vote with your feet, vote with your wallet. Be the change you want to see in this world. Get a job where you can work from home and live near a grocery store. Then you can leave the rat race behind.
@@Novusod you’re just wrong on so many levels. Highways have induced demand and create more sprawl in a vicious cycle
Thank you for highlighting the success stories of getting rid of highways and making downtowns more walkable!
Also in some areas in the summer when you have so much concrete for parking and traffic, it really heats up the city and comparison to less traffic lanes and more walkable places and bikeable places with some shrubs and trees
"Build it, and they will come" is 100% a fact.
Living in Vaughan, I used to always drive to downtown. But ever since they built the Subway, I have been using it to go downtown with my family and haven't used the car since it was opened.
I say we delete two lanes from the 401 and install a rail system along its entire length. Nothing will get people out of their cars faster than seeing a train consistently pass them every day.
> Nothing will get people out of their cars faster than seeing a train consistently pass them every day.
I'm not sure about that. In the Netherlands, a high-speed rail line resides next to the A16 motorway. The place is still clogged with automobiles, despite trains flashing by.
When I am in the train and see people pointing to traffic jams on the motorway, stating that by using the train, they chose the correct means of transportation, I smilefully reply: "Those people over there left their homes later than I did, and will arrive at their destinations earlier than I will."
I was asking the same questions 20 years ago.
@@oscarvanschijndel4989but how much money and headaches will they be saving and avoiding by not having to pay for gas/insurance/tax and maintenance for that car?
I think It depends on personal circumstances on which is more preferable
@@oscarvanschijndel4989you make no sense
Except that the remaining highway will still suck to live next to, so either not enough people will be close to the train stops for it to make sense, or they will build a bunch of housing next to the highway train stops and subject everybody to the pollution, noise, and crashes.
Just one more lane...
No bro just look at China they have 50 lane expressway and they still get bad traffic.
Nah!!! As Jason ( Not Just Bikes channel ), would say, "we need 2 more lanes". :)
@@Knightmare919I think he was joking
Great video! Nice summary of the issue of induced demand.
I dread driving or taking a bus too Toronto to visit my son who lives there because of the traffic congestion. Rail is preferred but quite expensive, so I visit less often
Do you have GO Trains in your area? They are honestly cheaper than fuel, and on weekends you can even buy yourself an unlimited pass for just $10.
I live in Ottawa, so when I travel to Toronto I can travel by: car via the 407, Bus via the Gardner reconcinstuction, Rail to Union station. A long weekend trip is simply not worth the time or the cost. Toronto's traffic problems are not unique, try travelling in Moscow or Beijing. @@AshgabatKetchumov
@@AshgabatKetchumov That 10$ pass can be bought on statutory holidays too. They should expand it to be bought on game days too because it's silly how so many people drive into the city to catch a Jays, Raptors or Leafs game despite the fact all of our stadiums like Skydome and BMO field are either steps to and visible from the train station (Exhibition) or in the case of Skydome directly connected to Union station, which EVERY GO line connects to. It's much cheaper to take the train to catch a game as opposed to paying the expensive parking costs of stadiums
The major problem is that car drivers aren't compelled to pay for the cost they impose on taxpayers. In general, fuel taxes cover highways - not municipal roads. Those are funded with property taxes paid equally (on average) among pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders and car drivers who occupy dozens of times the space. That subsidy to drivers doesn't even factor in the high costs of air pollution, climate change, sedentary lifestyles, fatalities and chronic debilitation not covered by car insurance.
Make drivers pay their true costs and there would be an immediate and persistent decline in car-dependence.
I also like to say that it's hypocritical that a big reason car people fight against non-car infrastructure is because of taxes, but car centric design is more expensive.
Watch Not Just Bikes on it.
One of the aspects of "Car Culture" was that it evolved in an environment of cheap cars that owners could do most repairs and maintenance themselves. Fuel was cheap. Insurance was cheap. That's not today's cars. Insurance is expensive, fuel is expensive. Planned Obsolescence has gone from annoying to hyper drive. Repair and maintenance costs are insane. With the way software works, you may say you "own" your car but you don't. While BMW had to reverse it's scheme to have heated seats and other features as a subscription service, you know it's coming. One pays tens of thousands of dollars for a vehicle, and one doesn't even really own it.
Keep going man, your videos rule
99% of traffic engineers quit just one lane before fixing traffic
China has a 50 lane expressway and they still get bad traffic.
You can also build a 1024 lane highway and people will not use it properly if they were even able to
Thanks for your good analysis and history lessons here.
20 years ago our downtown removed a highway/overpass over the river in our downtown area. It is now a beautiful park centered around a pedestrian bridge overlooking a waterfall where the highway once was. I am forever thankful that those folks were able to envision such an incredible future space for that location.
Thank you for your thoughtful, impeccably presented video. Your arguments are solid. Let's hope that cities become well-organised, attractive, and flourishing destinations. After all, who really wants to see cars, car parks, wide roads, and motorways everywhere? Yuck!
These videos are CRUCIAL to making a better future for society and transportation.
As long as we've been at it, we still are killing each other in horseless
carriages. A world class rail system is what we need.
> A world class rail system is what we need.
1. Switzerland has a world class rail system. And still, Switzerland has the same automobile possession rate as Germany.
2. The Netherlands has a great rail system, with intercity trains running up to every 10 minutes. They also have the best cycling infrastructure in the world. And still, it has the world's highest number of private automobiles per square mile.
I think both have to do with the fact that CH/NL are also great places to drive, with well-maintained vehicles and infrastructure. After all, it's all about having alternatives to driving.
Loosening the belt is so true
Maybe more public transportation can change. And also can help the elderly, disable, and ppl who cannot afford cars. Also can reduce the cars accidents.
Excellent reporting, you have a bright future! Keep bringing your perspective, personality and humor to RUclips videos. Love your storytelling because it's so authentic, genuine and real. Great work, my friend!
great video! keep spreading this message. even in Australia this is a massive issue even in major towns and cities that have absolutely no excuse for better transport in particular rail infrastructure
I heard Denver Colorado has been having slow zones for their passenger rail. I wonder if bad tracks are part of that? Addmittedly, I haven't kept up since I don't live there.
It's very new so I doubt it.
I think an important aspect of this is the "bad neighbor" issue. I know a lot of people who choose the car-dependent suburb because they've had horrible experiences with crap neighbors in denser settings like apartments or condos. I've been cussed out and kept awake all night by loud parties by more people while living in an apartment than I have living in a suburb, that's for sure. More people in a small space can potentially result in higher tensions, especially when so many people are chronically online and don't know how to actually interact with real human beings anymore. I'm all on-board with denser living space that support multi-use zoning and excellent public transit, but I think that has to go hand-in-hand with the social expectation that you have to be a decent neighbor.
There has to be control on people using illegal drugs on the streets because then it makes people too afraid to use public transport or walk along the sidewalks.
I agree with you that we need to make a more respectful society too. To also respect and not destroy or trash public spaces and services like trains, and to not steal bikes.
Some people are afraid dense cities have more crime.
I heard some apartments in places like America are not built soundproof.
Soundproofing should be done.
You talked about terrible neighbors in dense cities, but there are many videos of road rage.
Some drivers even get out of their cars on the streets and assault or physically fight each other.
So people talking about bad urban neighbors should think about that too.
Some people said they felt safer in dense cities with more eyes in the streets.
There's a reason why empty suburbs is the setting in creepy liminal horror.
Ok then. Close the border and end SNAP/EBT.
Hi Flurf, love the video! I see some NotJustBikes inspiration. I completely agree with everything you've said in the video, but I feel like you may have missed the point of why Canada is in this position.
Canada's housing market is pretty unique compared to most countries. Even the states, which is similar, isn't the exact same. There is a sort of house investment culture in Canada. I saw a statistic somewhere that said a really high amount of Canadian homes are owned by normal people looking to make a profit. This is in and of itself is a whole other can of worms. But the the thing is, these people vote much more than any other group (the other group being non-home owners). This creates a conflict of interest. If we want to reduce cost of housing, add more alternatives to driving, make more mixed-use developments, etc., we need to convince these people to vote for our side. However, the investment these people made on their houses, normally the biggest investment of their life, is going to drop a lot.
Believe me when I say, even these people want housing prices to decrease, but they don't really understand the implications. Because they don't really want more urbanist developments like what you and I want, we're going to continue to see people voting for these politicians like Ford.
I guess there are really two options:
a) Convince these home owners to vote for the side that will actually improve society
b) Convince more young people to vote or advocate for what will actually improve society
Thanks for touching on the impact of ramming car traffic through cities to the point where they can't even get a goddamn crosswalk, and the one they get needs crossing guards to be marginally safe.
Come on bro just one more lane! Itll work this time!
Although congestion pricing has mostly positive effects, businesses in downtown areas will suffer because stuff being brought on trucks will now be more expensive. Currently, in NYC and London, pricing is the same or extra for trucks.
Nyc's intended pricing for trucks was $24 to $36. The biggest trucks hold like 22 tons of cargo. So like $1.50 extra per ton you have delivered if you're using a full truck load.
RIP DOWN THE GARDNER! Open the waterfront. Improve the MGT (Toronto's waterfront trail) to turn it from a multi-use recreational trail to an actual bike highway. Ahhhhh! I'm breathing better already!
There’s also new subdivisions and apartments built along the new highway that weren’t there before for example. I’m talking about outer Orlando Florida.
As a Brit our roads are weird and motorists don’t give way to pedestrians and cyclists in the uk
There are places like India where you have to risk your life every time crossing the street, I think you have it pretty good in the UK by comparison
Great video! This is a beautiful 10,000 meter view of these issues. Well done.
It always made me laugh when, whenever the mildest traffuc calning measure (making streets access only or bus only, diverting traffuc away from the main street, or just restricting on-street parking) was suggested, it was the shopkeepers and Local Traders that were among the most up in arms, crying that their businesses would die if there was any reduction in the amount of traffic passing by! 😢 As if every single customer they had was always able to park right outside the door, or people passing by in their Cars 🚗 would spot a cozy bar or restaurant, park somewhere in a car park somewhere else in town, and then go back to that particular restaurant. They get much more passing trade from people walking past who have time to look in there, think "that looks nice", browse the menu in the window, and so on and so forth. (Not to mention the environment being so much more pleasant without traffic thundering past, making the tables shake, or a permanent jam of stationary traffuc right outside). People, even if they'd benefit immensely from traffic reduction, are just so wedded to the "traffic equals prosperity" meme
A flat congestion fee/toll is a bad idea. It will only drive poor car owners off the roads and leave the roads for the rich alone.
Someone with sense.
@@dividedstatesofamerica2520someone with sense would understand that flat congestion tolle like in new york overwhelmingly affected rich people, because poor people inherently work in suburbs our outer city districts more often. Most cities have rich downtowns with high paying office jobs.
Good
I would like to know the effects of building more parking garages and closing streets. In my little city there is no way to get to the city center without a vehicle, but there is no place to put a vehicle without paying more than I want to spend for a place to park. We could build some garages and close some streets for pedestrian and cycle traffic.
I live in midtown Toronto and commute to the west end on DVP/Gardiner, so losing it would definitely not be good for me 😂. But I do agree it is good for society as a whole since the gardiner is so expensive and slow.
The idea is to improve other infrastructure such as trains, trams, bike infrastructure, etc, so that people like you have a viable alternative. Highways would never magically disappear overnight.
I was hit by a car on my electric scooter back in February by a driver failing to yield to pedestrians. That incident opened my eyes to the dangers of the road. Now I’m an activist for safer streets and highly support safe walkable cities. Be careful out there all. ❤
4:47 Lol, what good timing.
More bus and bike lanes will tho
we don't need more highways, we need less cars and less people needing to drive.
The best line here: trying to fix traffic by adding another lane, is like loosening your belt to lose weight
2:20 so you're saying a highway with up to 18 lanes is being outperformed by the recently opened Elizabeth Line?
600,000k daily riders on two tracks, absolutely insane how inefficient and unproductive highway expansions are
Watch Not Just Bikes on trains in Japan moving millions of people per day.
I think comparing
how much nicer a walkable city looks with highways. It’s really different. Looking at huge highways with many lanes looks depressing compared to a walkable area. !
Even if your walking commute is not that short it's still more enjoyable in a walkable city with many things to look at than driving down long empty asphalt deserts.
Even some gamers complained in videos of some open world games being too big and making them commute too long in kind of empty spaces with not much to do or look at.
People choose cars for flexibilty . Even if you work for TTC or Metrolinx the public transit companies with free passes for employees . most employees still drive due to odd times and flexibilty and sometimes bring tools and equipement and sometimes get paid gas money per km . so if you kill the car you kill public transit and many other bussinesses with it .
No one said anything about getting rid of cars, everyone's saying they want cars to not be the ONLY option available. If you build good transit systems then the people who don't need that flexibility and just need a standard low cost train ride everyday can use that and people who need cars can drive cars with less traffic.
8:50 lol. Downtown yonge is 1 lane each way now in spots. But up by the 401, its 3 each. With some on street parking and parking lots, each side of the road.
I would like for this problem to be solved efficiently the only issue is having to reach out to politicians while I have an already busy schedule. When I get home, I don't want to do much else let alone on the weekends. Cars dependency is like a sick cycle car breaks down, mechanic needs to look at it and repair it, you need insurance for it, an updated drivers license, oh and don't forget registration. There probably more I didn't mention, but I'm venting at this point.
But one more lane will!
I'm fine with congestion pricing as long as motorcycles and Scooters aren't charged. They don't cause the social harms cars do and should be encouraged.
Thank you for pointing out how well North York did with revitalizing its yonge strip. Wish that the west end of North York saw the same success with its subways
Motorcycles have problems and are dangerous too.
They're also too annoyingly loud.
They cause pollution and the gas from them smells so bad and toxic.
Just as long as they have decent silencers 😑
Actually look at any big Asian city; they're absolutely infested by swarms of tiny little motorbikes. God knows what the air quality must be like
The west branch of Line 1 doesn't follow a street so there's no corridor to densify.
Great video and explanation of why more lanes is the last thing we need. It's so incredibly fustrating what happened in New York City as congestion pricing just makes too much sense not to be implemented there and in so many other cities infested with cars. It's sad to see Toronto suffering frm some of the same craziness around transportation and urban planning that is so common here in the U.S.
Just imagine a rail network, including high speed rail, connecting Windsor to Ottawa and everything in between. They just ripped out the unused rails in my town, luckily that space will be used for new trails, which is great news for cyclists since our current trails are more recreational than useful. Highway 413 should really be plans for a new train line.
Flurf, wayne nj, is literally being described in all of your videos!
11:50 adding space for traffic is only ever going to increase traffic. removing space for traffic will…
i love how you spell it out SO CLEARLY but the politicians just dont gaf 😢
Yet Toronto is still going ahead with the 413 freeway..... le sigh.
This video about highways seems to be all about cars. Delivery vehicles (mainly trucks) are ignored. They are essential for the thriving of any municipality. If there's any alternative to them, I'd like to know.
If there are fewer cars clogging the roads, trucking can be a lot more efficient.
Of course, in many cases there are alternatives. Most towns in North America used to have railway stations that from where cargo could be loaded and unloaded. Cargo trams exist, delivery bikes and mopeds are common around the world. Small electric delivery trucks are becoming increasingly common. There are lots of options for lots of circumstances.
What's up with the traffic in Toronto? I say inadequate freeway system. Decades ago they cancelled 4 freeway projects across the city...
But you dont need to stop driving and you dont lose a war if youre a car maniac. Improving all the other modes also improves roads.
I agree with most everything you said. I do wish you would address the role of "dark money" and lobbyist groups in the making of transportation decisions. In the state where I live, the Road Builders Association is the most powerful lobby there is. Logic and reason lose to big money and corruption.
Wow, that’s sad that the Prime Minister I think it was so part of the green belt to make more traffic lanes in Canada and Vancouver. I believe it was.
I meant to write sold instead of so
that was the Premier of Ontario, not all of Canada
@@TheTroyc1982 OK sorry I should’ve listened to the video again and maybe learn more about Canada
2:20 only 400.000? The Berlin public transport does over 3 times that
Dude one of the most eerie things about this is you film this where I live, the GTA, some places I feel like are only a walk away
The fact that we have gotten to the point where automobile traffic is seen as a necessary and inevitable consequence of large population demonstrates how far we have lost the plot to carbrain rot
Also how some car people said how all these traffic accidents and deaths are a necessary evil when it's not.
What they said is sick.
There are other ways to design cities that are safer.
Car centric design didn't even care to maximize safety but was focused on trying to maximize speed for drivers and traffic.
Which ironically car centric design caused more traffic.
Build more high speed transit that can move faster than the traffic with fast long distance transit as well that's how you get more people to opt for it than driving. And the nodes need good inter-connection that is timely at all times.
We need Spanish style cities 😢
USA need to go back to its pre-1920s roots of urban design tradition. Also, walkable suburbs served with streetcar routes.
99%Traffic engineer give up before getting one more line to fix traffic 😂
My city approved another 7 new highways. Meanwhile 1 new transit line still in political gridlock.
Parking is a bigger issue than highways imo. You can make highways bigger to reduce traffic, but if there isn’t an increase in parking, demand can only be induced so much.
Collisions are a problem
The thinking on the car culture is ass-backwards. For example, in the US, when a tax is proposed for a new highway or existing highway "improvement" (widening), it's called a, 'highway investment", but when a levy is proposed for a new rapid rail line or subway, it's called a, "transit subsidy". Dystopian doublespeak.
I don't think Ontario can be trusted with tolls. I've driven on tolls out east and down in the states and and the toll charges are 1/3 of the 407 tolls.
its because the 407 is privately owned
@@quackywhackityphillyb.3005 yeah that's why they can't be trusted. They might sell it off like they did with the 407
Nooo, just one more lane bro
Holy crap, the clip at 4:40 was pure gold.
Also great video!
Hi people, I have a question related to traffic and pedestrians. Here in Bosnia and former Yugoslavia lands there are situations of a driver hitting and often killing pedestrians, it happens often even on cross walks like almost every day now. The comments I see are mostly that these pedestrians are coming out in middle of the street like flies and its their fault. What is wrong with these people and is it the same over there where I can never go and see what real people are like because of papers, viruses, cold war, terrorists, etc, and I must blindly obey/worship the news or I will be declared crazy?
This happens quite a lot in the United States, where walkers are hit by cars and often by SUVs because they’re so high and the drivers are distracted. Also walkers.
In fact, I was in downtown Orlando Florida and also downtown West Palm and was almost hit by a car and I was in the crosswalk with the green signal !! Unfortunately in most places in the United States cars are allowed to turn right on red and often they don’t even yield or look the other way for walkers.
What’s really insane is that infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians is way cheaper than car infrastructure, and it lasts much longer with very little maintenance once it’s built, but my neighborhood doesn’t even have a fucking sidewalk.
Which city is that?
How this works is easy to see. Just imagine one of the Tokyo train stations with (multi)million passengers per day.
Assuming that people prefer driving a car to using the train. If you build a 4 lane highway it will be full. If you add another 4 lanes it will still be full because even that is just a dent in the amount of people.
Only with 160 lanes (or whatever the insane number is for rush hour) the highway would be able to manage that many cars. But they would all be stuck trying to get off the highway into the single lane streets.
Yet Another Urbanist talked about how one time there was a very long line of people for a restaurant that stretched out beyond the property of the restaurant.
He said imagine how much room it would take if all those people were in cars like in a drive-through.
There just wouldn't be room or they would selfishly block streets.
It's funny how the Netherlands is always used as an example yet we have one of the highest uses of cars per capita in Europe and with that, the widest highways in Europe. Our zoning and urban planning is just different and more efficient and we have more public transport than North America. Yet we still have very congested highways and trains that need expansion because... well... our trains AND roads are overloaded.
Then people in the Netherlands need to be convinced to not be as car centric either. And design more walkable cities.
Watch Not Just Bikes' video on how trains in Japan move millions of people per day.
Maybe watch The Aesthetic City.
@@user-gu9yq5sj7c Not just bikes is the worst example you can have regarding city planning. The guy does not have a city planning degree and gives you a very twisted vision on how public transport works etc. Please educate yourself by not only watching transit promoting youtubers but become objective in your way of thinking. Transit is more complex than you think.
@@Sven_Eand you work for some car manufacturers I presume?
@@leob4403 no I work as a civil engineer.
@@Sven_E so please tell me what is twisted about public transport
Build 100 lane each direction, Total 200 lanes can fix the problem of traffic congestion ..
Build 200 lane Motorways..
All i ask is, remember me when you're famous.
Great video, very informative. Would you consider setting up a LiberaPay and Nebula accounts that we could support you at?
14:31 fin.
Im a small town albertan. From the outside looking in your biggest problem is mass immigration and you have no place to put the people. The same reason rent in Toronto is 3000$ a month is also why the highways are a cluster fuck.
My mortgage on a 1100 ft square home on a double lot in boyle ab is 450$ a month. Mill I work at is 20 minutes away and rarely any traffic
“pun intended” ah, i see you are no coward 🍷
Transit doesn't fix traffic either. Mixed use and distributing opportunities does. Make it so people need to travel less. And travel shorter distances
When I look at these giant highways and super-wide roads I picture how many apartment blocks could fit down them. Answer: enough to reduce or solve the housing affordability crisis. housing would be affordable if we had better land use. So how much are cars actually costing us? Especially when it's suburbanites, who get cheap housing outside of the city and then prevent city residents from being able to afford housing by taking up all our land for their car dependency? Safe to say houses would be $200k less or half the price if we developed density and smart land use. THAT is what you are forced to pay to subsidize car drivers.
Politics has consequences. Bad land use? Your residents will not be able to afford to live. But we're decades into this hole and shoveling our way out is going to be an uphill battle.
Toronto and GTA: Haha no u 😜
The ultra-rich will _never_ allow viable alternatives to driving in much of North America.
As long as America has strong car manufacturer lobby, the situation will not improve
Also cars make it very dangerous for a walker to use a crosswalk since at least in the United States cars are allowed to turn right and they don’t look for the walkers. I was almost hit a few times because of that and I had the green signal to walk.
You can have 20 lanes and it will still back up when majority of that traffic has to take an exit that bottlenecks it to one lane with a cloverleaf
The US is huge, so there will need to be massive public transport development to even remotely approach the goal of making independent ownership of cars mostly unnecessary. We’d need to make stylish cars affordable to rent for the sorts of times where one is unavoidable, like road-tripping. And also important is making sure that people outside of large cities still have access. I couldn’t stop and visit Chicago last time I passed by because there was nowhere affordable to park and take public transport in, and my large vehicle wouldn’t fit in normal spaces or garages. I wanted to do so many things there, but I just couldn’t make it work for a reasonable price. I personally also want desperately to live in a big city, but I refuse to work 24/7 to afford to buy a place and also will never rent. The cost is too high.
... and the US were literally built around railways, and even middle to small cities used to have streetcars...
The US is the same size of Europe and China, smaller than Canada, Russia. In any case, this does not matter as 83% of US citizens live in urban areas that covers only 3% of the area of the whole country which means that the area you need to cover with local, regional and intercity fro the urban areas is actually small.
BTW, even if it was true the US already has a country wide rail infrastructure that was left in private hands instead of being owned by the state and you also built a nation wide road system, that, unlike rail, is owned by the state (each state and the federal government that financed 90 percent of constructions and finances a larch portion of maintenance costs). Airports and traffic control systems are also owned and operated by state/federal governments and both roads and air travel are heavily subsidized by them so why not rail, which is far more efficient than both of the other main transport means.
Last time I visited to Chicago, I flew there and took public transport and walked to get everywhere. it of course this year visiting someone in the suburbs you might have to take an Uber or something else.
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4:42 you know the street is dangerous when there is a crash going on as you speak about how dangerous it is
Induced demand has been proven wrong over and over again.
Imagine if that 18 lane highway in LA remained to 6 lanes..... There's your answer
Your argument is not logically sound. You start with stating there is evidence, then put forward a hypothetical situation. Though your example seems quite simple, in what flurf talked about. People would more readily look for other options or pastimes if otherwise they would be stuck in traffic. In other words there would be a reduced demand for certain kinds of trips. Hope that helps.
@@Woppettier it's not my argument. It's the argument of experts
imagine if la instead used the money to build highways on bike infrustructure and public transit
@@timyassa4343 experts? cite them then
@@drill_fiend1097 Google it. I'm not gonna do your homework for you
Just one more video about induced demand...
Great work!
The moment that made me realise how ingrained the car culture was when I was chatting with my Torontonian uncle "the new mayor rode her bike to her first day at the mayor's office. That's a political move!" Bro, ya gurl is just living her life
Imagine a Toronto without the Gardiner or a Chicago without Lake Shore Drive. *stares wistfully into the middle distance*