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HEIMDVLLR t1_jb5ppl9 wrote

How has it been ruined by cars? What was it like before cars?

The city could easily build paths underneath/above the roadway for pedestrians. Just like they do for the LIE and Van Wyck Expressway nearby.

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Dreamtown_Comix t1_jb60406 wrote

Queens blvd. and several similar roads (Linden blvd, kings highway, etc) were proposed to be built around light rail however Robert Moses opted to design them so that public transit could NEVER be added. This design only served wealthier single family suburbanites who would then drive their cars everywhere, creating more traffic. So it’s not really what queens blvd was but more what it could have been.

Also pedestrian bridges are hugely inconvenient and tunnels always become disgusting/dangerous.

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HEIMDVLLR t1_jb69t1t wrote

I actually like the light-rail option, reminds me of San Francisco’s Embarcadero Street. Which also has busy intersections. What’s stopping the city from adding the light rails now?

The tunnels underneath could be well lit and connected to the subway stations below like a lot of subway stations in Manhattan around time square, Rockefeller, Penn station and Grand Central station.

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Dreamtown_Comix t1_jb70k5l wrote

Yes. The embarcadero is a nicer road than queens blvd. Queens blvd was built intentionally too narrow to allow the eventual addition of light rail. Basically, they chose drivers slight convenience over transit users large inconvenience. The it only takes that train on the embarcadero 15 minutes to cover the entire length.

As for the tunnels: No! Since humans require fresh air and sunlight, if there are gonna be tunnels leave them for the machines

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