LegalManufacturer916 t1_j0vjw08 wrote on December 19, 2022 at 7:09 PM

I commute on the L every day and I always think about how many cars it would take to move that many people. 1,000 people per train, one train every 5 minutes… the bridges are already gridlocked. Yet, out where I live in Queens there are all these “car people” who believe we need to let the MTA wither and instead build more parking spaces. Man, I think they’re bonkers. This city became prosperous because we invested in the subway, and if we want it to stay prosperous, we’re going to have to continue that investment, year after year.

TeamMisha t1_j0x20xa wrote on December 20, 2022 at 1:27 AM

The Manhattan Bridge moved more people each day across the East River in 1939 then it did in 1989 when most of it was converted into vehicle lanes. The Brooklyn Bridge as well, peaked at 426,000 people per day in 1907 when it had trolleys, versus 178k per day in 1989 when it was then 6 motor vehicle lanes. In fact, all four bridges had more people per day before they had conversions of trolley and rail tracks into car lanes. Old article but the graphic source can be found here

LegalManufacturer916 t1_j0xo6tf wrote on December 20, 2022 at 4:21 AM

I'd love to see trolleys/trams make a comeback in some parts of this city. I know there have been a ton of plans floated, some make sense, some don't. Of course, there's the Interborough Express which might actually happen (and I'm really rooting for this, cause there would likely be a station about 2 blocks from my apartment).