Quote:
Originally Posted by SIGSEGV
I think uber/lyft are responsible for a huge share of traffic problems in downtown. I guess I should check to see if the city has posted new data and update some of the charts I made a while ago, in the nebulous future where I have time to do that...
|
Yes, this has been part of the trend of declining transit use, but is it the primary cause or just a sideshow? Uber and Lyft are now charging close to the real cost for trips now that they aren't being subsidized by investors, so their usage should fall quite a bit and maybe transit ticks back up. But it will be impossible to separate out that effect from the long-term effects of Covid and rise of working remotely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlajos
I imagine a lot of people now live and work downtown so walking is likely up.
|
Yep, this is surely part of the answer also. But with transit usage falling even before Covid and downtown growth chugging along regardless, maybe further investments in a downtown-centric transit network aren't the best use of scarce funds. Or at least, that seems to be the reason why our leaders do not have the same urgency about transit systems that LA, SF, NYC, etc have.
Personally I do not have much optimism about the potential for new transit service to decongest highways. First, that line of thinking centers drivers instead of transit users. Second, transit is most appealing when there is severe congestion to discourage driving. Third, a lot of the people on the road simply can't use transit. Semi trucks, contractors, people that need to visit multiple sites for their job, etc. Strong transit ridership comes from growing the kinds of jobs that are compatible with transit - basically any job with a fixed place of employment, concentrated at high densities.