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Before anyone mentions a train again, let's be realistic. Trains won't make traffic lighter. Trains simply offer commuters a choice. Even after billions of dollars are spent on the trains, there will still be those folks who would rather drive. NYC is the only US city where over 50% of the population uses mass transit. And NYC has bad traffic too.
It's simple. If you want traffic to go away, do what Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Detroit and St Louis has done. Traffic gets lighter and lighter in those cities every year...
Before anyone mentions a train again, let's be realistic. Trains won't make traffic lighter. Trains simply offer commuters a choice. Even after billions of dollars are spent on the trains, there will still be those folks who would rather drive. NYC is the only US city where over 50% of the population uses mass transit. And NYC has bad traffic too.
It's simple. If you want traffic to go away, do what Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Detroit and St Louis has done. Traffic gets lighter and lighter in those cities every year...
Yep, traffic is just reality and it will get worse and worse as the population grows. The best thing you can do to make it better for you is to live somewhere where you don't have to get into your car as much or make shorter trips.
Pittsburgh actually isn't doing that bad lately - I'd definitely live there if the weather was a little less miserable.
Traffic will get worse but will never be as bad as the areas with real bad traffic in the country. Many high traffic areas have roads that weren't meant for cars, dumping onto highways that cannot be widened, and there's no open land left to create new roads. In my opinion they do a pretty good job around here of planning and staying ahead of the game.
That being said, once self-driving cars become popular, traffic will be on the decline.
Traffic will get worse but will never be as bad as the areas with real bad traffic in the country. Many high traffic areas have roads that weren't meant for cars, dumping onto highways that cannot be widened, and there's no open land left to create new roads. In my opinion they do a pretty good job around here of planning and staying ahead of the game.
That being said, once self-driving cars become popular, traffic will be on the decline.
Not entirely sure, driving will be more efficient for sure but with more and more cars, at some point you're still going to reach some sort of capacity.
Not entirely sure, driving will be more efficient for sure but with more and more cars, at some point you're still going to reach some sort of capacity.
True. We'll all be flying around like the Jetsons at some point though.
Moving from DC metro to the RDU area, the traffic there that I have seen hasn't been all that bad, again compared to here. Coming from a place like Birmingham AL to the Triangle, then yeah traffic will seem to bad to the individual. As much as mass transit is always getting the cold shoulder, it does help in a lot of other ways. Unfortunately a bunch of inept idiots here in DC waited to long as they got greedy and the metro system here is on par with the worst of the country. I think a decent rail system would be done if it was done the right way with a combo of rail and bus. But then comes the there is no money, then the NIMBY'ers who don't want a rail line close by, etc etc. If and that's a big IF it was done right a train/bus/shuttle combo could be done between WF, Raleigh, Durham, Garner, Chapel Hill, Cary and Hillsborough areas that interconnect somehow and it would have to have a stop at the airport at RDU as well. If you are going to do it, do it right. Sadly I don't think we will ever see this happen in our lifetimes here in the Triangle area
Moving from DC metro to the RDU area, the traffic there that I have seen hasn't been all that bad, again compared to here. Coming from a place like Birmingham AL to the Triangle, then yeah traffic will seem to bad to the individual. As much as mass transit is always getting the cold shoulder, it does help in a lot of other ways. Unfortunately a bunch of inept idiots here in DC waited to long as they got greedy and the metro system here is on par with the worst of the country. I think a decent rail system would be done if it was done the right way with a combo of rail and bus. But then comes the there is no money, then the NIMBY'ers who don't want a rail line close by, etc etc. If and that's a big IF it was done right a train/bus/shuttle combo could be done between WF, Raleigh, Durham, Garner, Chapel Hill, Cary and Hillsborough areas that interconnect somehow and it would have to have a stop at the airport at RDU as well. If you are going to do it, do it right. Sadly I don't think we will ever see this happen in our lifetimes here in the Triangle area
My wife loves the DC rail system and cannot stand the horric traffic situation there. She would much rather drive in the Triangle. Seems like a lot of the places with rail also have massive issues with traffic. Guess an area can only handle so many people so easily.
We see over and over on this forum people prioritizing "a bit more house" or "a larger yard" or a "quaint country feel" over things like commute time, density and living close to their job. Until that changes, traffic is going to get worse and worse.
We see over and over on this forum people prioritizing "a bit more house" or "a larger yard" or a "quaint country feel" over things like commute time, density and living close to their job. Until that changes, traffic is going to get worse and worse.
Bingo! Traffic will get worse if people don't reduce their vehicle-miles traveled. But I live 10 minutes away from work so that's not really my concern for now (unlike people who live in Clayton and commute to RTP)
Last edited by pierretong1991; 05-09-2016 at 07:33 AM..
We see over and over on this forum people prioritizing "a bit more house" or "a larger yard" or a "quaint country feel" over things like commute time, density and living close to their job. Until that changes, traffic is going to get worse and worse.
More importantly, people not taking into consideration the overall daily activities of living scenarios. Where will the kids go to school, where will they be going daily for activities & commitments. Where do their family members live. Picking a location to live solely based on where one works is flawed not only because employment changes every few years on average, but because not having the convenience to get to the things easily and quickly that we want to or need to do when not working are what really degrade one's life. You can live right across the street from work, but if it is a lousy area and is 45 minutes away from friends, family, doctors, and all the things your family enjoys on a daily basis, then what good is it in reality.
People need to start thinking of the OVERALL picture and also realize that jobs change. While your current job is "part" of the current overall picture, I would also be looking at the "field" you are in, so that if you were to have to change jobs, you could still be in a good general area.
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