Here’s an interesting article in the Congress for New Urbanism’s journal that seems germane to the debate over Merrimon Ave.
What if it were a good thing to discourage increased car traffic, and instead provide better public transportation along major corridors? That would improve quality of life and reduce the city’s carbon footprint as well.
“You really don’t believe in induced demand, if you don’t also believe in reduced demand. Traffic engineering/planning is going on a hundred years as a profession. It’s time to learn from history, to believe the science, to get smart about street design, to fully use the idea of reduced demand where it has the potential to improve a city’s economy, society, and mobility.”