One of Citynerd’s best videos is on YouTube now. You should watch it for yourself, but it poses an interesting question: has traffic gotten better or worse since the WFH mandates? If remote work reduces traffic, shouldn’t we be seeing that now? - ThreadSky

koriander.bsky.social • 60 days ago

One of Citynerd’s best videos is on YouTube now. You should watch it for yourself, but it poses an interesting question: has traffic gotten better or worse since the WFH mandates? If remote work reduces traffic, shouldn’t we be seeing that now?

Reposted from Ray Delahanty | CityNerd

New tonight — I’m contractually obligated to have thoughts about NYC and traffic congestion, and they won’t fit in 300 characters, so here: nebula.tv/videos/cityn...

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koriander.bsky.social•60 days ago

Here’s the link if you aren’t on nebula: https://youtu.be/rM6NoYyG-Ro?si=7q56hilqtkel9Ul_

elliesaur.bsky.social•60 days ago

Something that stands out to me is that we really do a bad job of building transit that works for people's non-commute trips (or even non-downtown commute trips.)

Even in places where getting in and out of downtown is easy, going across town to see friends is often maddeningly slow by transit.

koriander.bsky.social•60 days ago

You’re making me jealous of places that have fast transit into/out of downtown (portland…. ☹️)

elliesaur.bsky.social•60 days ago

Boston is almost a parody of everything being centered around downtown. The street network is very much hub-and-spoke too. Riding a bike really is the best way to make crosstown trips without getting too frustrated.

noxyburd.bsky.social•60 days ago

Unsurprisingly, the reduction in commute cycling in Portland also corresponds with the rise in WFH. In 2019 not only was the bike valet at OHSU nearly overflowing, but the streetcars would be so full people wouldn’t be able to fit into the doors. That hasn’t happened since. Same for PSU.

noxyburd.bsky.social•60 days ago

I have to wonder how much of OHSU’s (and PSU’s) classes have gone online or hybrid as well since hospital work really isn’t WFH compatible.

emma321.bsky.social•60 days ago

Many admin healthcare jobs are now hybrid or fully remote, FYI

noxyburd.bsky.social•60 days ago

Trimet really needs to pivot to capture non-work related trips because it’s clear a frequent service network is superior to a commuter based network. Just look at FX2 (despite the concessions made during planning). Unfortunately land use reforms are also key to reducing VMT but take longer.

koriander.bsky.social•60 days ago

Some sort of night service (even on only a few routes) would do so much, frame it as an anti-drunk-driving measure!

halfdagron.bsky.social•59 days ago

My theory is that the gridlock of heavy traffic tempers the worst drivers. When traffic volume reduced, the speed at which dumb things could happen increased. This made the severity of incidents worse. Also, bad drivers came to expect higher speeds and are increasingly reckless to keep moving.

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