Bumper to bumper

Today’s subject matter is a bit different from the more philosophical topics I usually discuss on this blog. However, it is an important social issue, and I feel it is worth mentioning.

What I would like to talk about today is traffic. Specifically, I’d like to talk about Manhattan, where traffic has become such a chronic disease that many New Yorkers don’t even own a car. The root of the problem is obvious: Manhattan is tiny, only about 23 square miles, but it houses over 1.6 million people. All these people (plus the ones coming in to work from the other boroughs or from New Jersey) have to get around somehow, and public transportation simply can’t take them all.

But I think the solution is remarkably simple: ban cars. This may sound radical, but it is probably the most effective solution to Manhattan’s traffic problem, as I will explain.

My basic plan is as follows: No privately owned cars are allowed inside the island of Manhattan, except on the one road that travels along the circumference of the city and two or three that cross it east-west. To make up for this, public transportation (subway trains, buses, etc.) will be increased. Taxi services can continue (taxies are not privately owned) but they will be subject to regulation to limit the number of taxies each company can put on the road at one time. The owners of facilities relating to motor vehicle parking or maintenance inside the new no-car zone will be given the option of selling their property to the state of New York for a reasonable price. Subsidies will also be given to these companies, so that parking garages and other facilities can be built along the island’s perimeter.

The benefits of such a program are obvious. The most obvious benefit is the fact that “traffic” as we know it will no longer exist in most of Manhattan. There are also huge environmental benefits—thousands of cars will be taken of the road, reducing CO₂ emissions and even possibly reducing oil dependence by a noticeable amount. By removing these cars, this program will also help keep the city cleaner and improve the air quality. It will promote a healthier lifestyle for many New Yorkers, which is important because America is gradually becoming more and more obese.

Furthermore, this idea is not without precedent—a few years ago, Beijing had very few cars relative to the size of the city. Most people got around by walking or using Beijing’s most famous bike, the “flying pigeon.” Today, though, urban sprawl has made the car a necessity for many people in Beijing. But Manhattan doesn’t have that problem—its size is permanently limited, so anyone who lives and works in Manhattan will never need a car.

But how would New York legislature pass such a program? In its initial phases, this kind of project is enormously expensive. It would be highly undesirable (at least at first) to people who commute in, out, or through Manhattan. Because of this, I doubt that even a quarter of New Yorkers would vote for this program. Thus, the only way for something like this to be implemented would be for the governor of New York and the mayor of NYC to cooperate and execute it before bureaucracy bogs the whole thing down. I would also recommend that the program be executed as quickly as possible—people will initially whine and complain, but eventually they will see the long-term benefits. (Whereas if it were phased in slowly, public opinion of it would be so negative that the whole thing would most likely be cancelled.) Unfortunately this is rather draconian, but the simple fact is most New Yorkers will not be too happy about not being able to use their cars (at least at first).

This program could also be applied to other cities. Los Angeles recently underwent “Manhattanization,” and it has become an extremely high-density city. However, Manhattan is still the most ideal choice because of its size limitations.