Coming back to Seattle, I am reminded of how far we still have to go in general city building and infrastructure. As I got back on the 8, I was re-introduced to the city bus, slow and lurching, yet ubiquitous for transit in cities without adequate density, money and public support to build viable transportation infrastructure.
In such cities as New York, the subway is undeniably the better way to get around. Imagine how polluted and congested all five boroughs would be without it. As Seattle continues to grow both economically and in population density, high-capacity, grade-separated transit is necessary. If even a few neighborhoods in Seattle grow to have densities anywhere near those of New York, a regular city bus would no longer have enough capacity and would be way too slow.
New York also deserves credit for its rapidly improving bike infrastructure. Large, mostly safe bike lanes are integral parts of major avenues in Manhattan, and Citibike, a new sharing program, is all over the city. While Seattle has lanes in many places, very few of them offer a safe and fast option for bicyclists, and most of downtown is deadly, namely 2nd and 4th Avenues.
While Seattle's infrastructure might be sufficient by today's standards, our city's growth means that in order to meet future demand and to keep the city sustainable, we must start building. This means more transit and bikes, and less highways and large thoroughfares.