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ChrisFromLongIsland t1_j6ij7kn wrote

Reply to comment by HEIMDVLLR in Clearing Vendors From the Brooklyn Bridge Won’t Solve Its Overcrowding Problem by StrngBrew

I don't know why induced demand is a bad thing. That means a lot more people are using something they did not do before because it was crowded. Even of its crowded today there are more people using it.

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b1argg t1_j6ixx64 wrote

Also, even if it isn't faster, more space allows more thoroughput. To use a car example (reeeeee) 4 lanes of traffic at 20mph is still moving more people than 3 lanes at 20mph. Same concept applies to any mode of transportation.

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TeamMisha t1_j6jcwjd wrote

Caveat is where is the capacity limitation? For example if your 4 lanes need to go down to 2 lanes (like our tunnels) you are in fact not moving anymore people per hour cause you still are trying to shove more people in a finite space that already has reached capacity. A lot of out bottlenecks are bridges and tunnels, or more specifically the merge downs. Adding more lanes upstream allows more drivers to wait, BUT they will be waiting longer as now you have more cars attempting to merge or go through the bottleneck.

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HEIMDVLLR t1_j6k5z4x wrote

I get this and is the exact argument I have against up-zoning a residential area with limited mass transit service.

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TeamMisha t1_j6kyxop wrote

Indeed. The generally accepted standards would be to go with the transit. I think it's usually 0.5-0.75 mile sweet spot around subway stations are the primary targets for upzoning. Queens still has a lot of untapped potential in that respect along the E for example, I mean there's detached 1-2 story housing one block away from some some stations on Queens Blvd. Hell even Astoria has much, much more potential. But, no I wouldn't support say a 25 story building in Whitestone that would be marketed solely on the basis of having a 5 story underground garage. We saw an issue like this were I think developers were expecting the ill-fated Queens Brooklyn LRT along Vernon Blvd, it did not materialize yet we have a bunch of new towers in that area.

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HEIMDVLLR t1_j6iob78 wrote

The only problem here is, the extra space isn’t attracting more New York residents. It’s attracting more tourist.

Which only solved a problem for a season, until next year when more tourist show up.

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cdavidg4 t1_j6is6ac wrote

I doubt removing the bike lane from the promenade is inducing that many more tourist trips. I think it's more that now that bikes are gone vendors see more space and expanded their operations, which limited the space for people walking and led to crowding.

Before the bike lane was moved there were times when the bridge became crazy crowded and was closed.

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