If I had created the world, I would not have created cars, for Christ’s sake. Or cell phones. Cars drive my crazy, as do cell phones.
Hélas -- and thank God -- I wasn’t the one given the job of creating this world. It was created quite well without me, with waters, hills, vegetation, animals, and mankind. The last of these has tried to transform it for its own sake, quite often with less than perfect results.
My beautiful city, Budapest, is practically drowning in permanent traffic jams, noise, smell, stress, and chaos. Many of its two million residents have moved into the suburbs (they say the number reaches 500,000), from which most drive into the city every day on a road and street system that is quite underdeveloped compared to that of other medium sized European cities, such as Vienna.
With only a few parking garages, parking is difficult, while mass transportation is far from perfect (there are only three subway lines). There are no plans to transform the main arteries of circulation along the banks and the bridges of the Danube into fast, one-way roads, while the concept of taxing vehicles in the inner city remains uncontemplated.
Those steps should be taken as soon as possible. Plus, Budapest should develop what every big city needs: a good, computerized system to shift the operation of its traffic lights to the actual needs, adjusting the lights to disperse traffic jams when they are observed.
Once all these improvements are made, we can see what happens. The situation will be much better, that is for sure. But improvements have there natural limit. When the number of cars in the streets of the city reaches a new critical number, there will remain only one final solution. The Chinese method. People will have to learn to walk again. Which will be a slower way of moving, but at the same time merry, healthy and sweet. I am all for trying it. Until….listen to the car radio, dear men.
Comments (5)
