During the summer I was sitting with two of my friends on Broadway eating lunch. Somehow, the topic of traffic in Manhattan came up. We decided that the only way to absolve Manhattan of its traffic problem was to completely disallow passenger cars in the city. Of course emergency vehicles would be allowed, but also taxis would be allowed for people who really need a car.
The main form of transportation would be the subway system but other alternatives would be:
- citi bikes – sometimes faster than cars, very efficient, affordable and good for exercise
- Walking or Jogging – good exercise
The only major problems we could think of were:
- Getting from New Jersey to Queens by car – You would have to go all the way around Manhattan through Brooklyn and staten Island. A possible solution would be a bridge that stretched across the width of Manhattan connecting queens to New Jersey
- Another problem would be that that the entire car industry would tank, especially the parking lots in the city.
In the end there are many benefits of curing Manhattan of its traffic problem but also problems that outweigh the convenience of a trafficless city.