Average velocity for short trip urban driving is under 20 mph. Almost ALL early auto advertising pictures the auto as a cross-country vehicle. It has been the unexpected proliferation of the cross-country gas auto in the urban environment that not only made the street untenable for bicycles and streetcars, but finally for the 80 mph monsters themselves. Traffic engineers and city planners still see bicyclists as a problem, when in reality they are a solution. Taxes are forced up as a result of such growth, putting economic pressure particularly on fixed-income residents and often forcing them to move.
Light rail is more cost-effective than freeway construction.
Use of rail encourages development to be more compact, generally in nodes around rail stops. This results in more efficient land use, preservation of farmland, a more cost-effective infrastructure, and conservation of energy. A moratorium on new roads and parking lots can spark a renaissance in our now-decaying towns and cities by redirecting development and investment to existing urban centers. Employment would soar to refurbish old buildings, depave areas for gardens and parks, and creating infrastructure for bicycling, walking, and rail trolley transit. A similar situation exists in Asia.