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Old 11-18-12, 10:42 PM
  #55  
Sixty Fiver
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It is very true when one says, "If you build it, they will come".

Provide practical infrastructure for motorists or cyclists and they will come and utilize those facilities and this is not always a positive as when it comes to cars, opening up roads and multi-lane routes and expressways increases traffic and leads to congestion which then requires additional roadways to address congestion while doing nothing to encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation.

In the Netherlands the car was king until the middle of the 20th century and their roads were not much different from those in North America or other cities in Europe. A conscious effort was made to improve the infrastructure that supported cycling and other modes of transportation to reduce the dependence on cars which was made easier because of the more compact nature of European cities.

In North America urban sprawl is one of the most serious issues we face as it creates an infrastructure that is not sustainable in the long term and puts a great burden on those municipalities to extend their services farther and farther outward.

It does nothing to encourage alternative transportation and when people's vehicular commutes start to become onerous it is a clear sign of poor planning.
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