this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2024
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Fuck Cars

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A place to discuss problems of car centric infrastructure or how it hurts us all. Let's explore the bad world of Cars!

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The largest grant is going to Portland for a freeway widening that has occasionally included a cap in the renders.

Austin's grant is going to a similar project.

The freeway widenings apparently must continue, but now they'll just come with caps in progressive cities.

[–] fireweed 38 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I saw the headline and thought, "we ripping out the highways or doubling down on them with expensive bandaid 'fixes'?"

Doubling down it is. Crap like this is why Biden will never be a "climate president": we can't address the systemic issues that are the primary drivers of climate change as long as we keep trying to work within the confines of said systems.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Some of the blame lies at the feet of state DOTs that are still drawing up these projects. In Austin's case, I think the I-35 widening is basically being forced down the city's throat by a revanchist state government.

[–] fireweed 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

For sure, state DOTs are completely complicit in the problem (some more than others), as they're the ones deciding and designing the projects (highways are generally their jurisdiction). However the federal government has complete say in what projects they help fund, and could definitely set standards dictating the types of projects to move forward.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I think they tried to do that and Mitch McConnell told red states to ignore those rules and then the feds cowardly backed off.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

@regul @fireweed That’s how US government works. Democrats propose to do something moderate that would help a little bit but they already compromised on important details before they started, Republicans throw a tantrum, Democrats capitulate, billions more dollars get poured down the toilet (or into highways) with very few dollars going to something useful but the net effect being overwhelmingly bad.

[–] fireweed 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Was this back when his wife was transportation Secretary? Cuz she ain't there no more