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Do Your Buses Get Stuck in Traffic? (The Downs-Thomson Paradox)

Not Just Bikes · explainer · Watch on YouTube

Transit, cities & urban planning

What it is

Not Just Bikes explains the Downs-Thomson paradox using Amsterdam and Toronto: road widening doesn't fix congestion, and buses stuck in traffic make transit slow. It argues for giving transit its own priority infrastructure.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN points to it as a clear introduction to why widening roads fails and why transit-only lanes matter.

  • 4 people recommended it
  • 4 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2021, last 2023

What HN commenters said

  1. “Please, please watch the videos I linked.”

    Why autonomous cars with poor transit make the system worse

    rglullis, 2022-05 · Strong recommendation · in “An autonomous car in SF blocked a fire truck responding to an emergency”

  2. “are great overviews”

    Overview of transit speed and car congestion

    quadrangle, 2021-09 · Recommendation · in “Amtrak might add more routes, but they won't be faster than a car”

  3. “NotJustBikes has a good introduction to it”

    Good introduction to the Downs-Thomson paradox

    animal_spirits, 2022-01 · Recommendation · in “Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night”

  4. “More info”

    More info on reducing congestion via transit

    ViewTrick1002, 2023-11 · Recommendation · in “Jevons Paradox”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: downs-thomson paradox, public transit, urban planning, traffic congestion, netherlands

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