Quote:
Originally Posted by goodgrowth
How do you think traffic would be without TGH and the Outer Ring Road? If anything they both are coming online years after they were needed. I can't imagine the traffic if ORR didn't exist. I'd argue it could be six lanes wide at this point.
Roads themselves don't create traffic....increasing population and peoples preference for suburban life in single detached homes and using vehicles drive that. You can't force that preference. Also traffic in St. John's isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things.
As with regards to the province/city not being able to afford TGH. I'd argue the increased migration of Newfoundlanders into the St. John's area is making things more cost efficient overall...not less. ORR and TGH costs millions of dollars but are going to be used by 10's of thousands of cars everyday. Some places have a ferry for what... 100 people?
TGH as it is right now might not be big deal but when it is finally completed it be absolutely necessary for Mt. Pearl/Southlands/Galway.
Also don't get me wrong I am all for more efficient planning and public transportation. I think Metrobus could be a lot better (ie more hubs, weatherproof shelters).
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As overboard pointed out it's widely accepted in the planning word that more roads mean more driving. It's a principal call generated traffic or induced travel. Drivers are selfish and use the route until the lanes are filled and equilibrium is met. We should know better but often times the decision to build more road is political and easier to explain to the general population than to implement measures that actually work or are more cost effective.
Attached is a paper explaining these principles. It also calculates the costs of induced travel and alternatives:
http://www.vtpi.org/gentraf.pdf or in shortened video form (but please read the report):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epHRVoTFuVM
As for the population increasing, liking suburbs and requiring more roads is only part of the story. Yes, the population increases and new development can be good. The problem is the development has been haphazard and driven by the builders themselves. A company buys land, applies for the permits and then quickly builds and sells the same 4 or 5 house models. How do we know there is no demand for another type of house or a mixed use neighborhood since none have been built since the early 1900's? They are popular in other regions. The Northeast Avalon regional plan and the St. John's municipal plan hasn't been updated since 1976 and 2003 respectively so there is no modern guidance for planned growth. You can't force preference but you can enact policy that provide options and steer you towards the most beneficial choice.
Suburbs are costly and not efficient. New ones take years for the property values to rise enough to break even. They require a lot expensive infrastructure to service. Pavement is expensive to install and maintain. Snowplows and garbage trucks have to drive further and take longer to service each residence. Cars take up a lot of space. Both road space and parking lots at each destination. Suburbs require residents to own an expensive car. Since you can't walk anywhere your car is treated like a wheelchair. Your mobility depends it. You have very little choice. Yes, there are some bus routes but they are very infrequent and indirect. No amount of bus shelters will help. Hubs are great but suburbs don't have central destinations. Many don't have anything but identical houses. They are just sprawl.
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/201...be-the-answer/
Just because St. John's area traffic isn't that bad or some outport is doing it worse doesn't mean we shouldn't try a better approach. So how do we do it?
-Better land use so new developments have local destinations like shops, parks and schools. This keeps people in their neighborhood.
-Mixed house types to promote some density and create vibrant areas where people actually want to go and have the numbers to support local shops and services.
-Cycling and walking infrastructure to limit the number of car tips.
-Transit options that offer competitive travel time and price as driving.
-Congestion pricing as an incentive for off peak commuting, carpooling or cycling.
I'm not against growth. I'm for smart growth, good growth.
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