Traffic didn't improve. It got rerouted elsewhere, sure. Ultimately what happened was that neighborhoods with freeways nearby appreciated in property values, an

Traffic didn't improve. It got rerouted elsewhere, sure. Ultimately what happened was that neighborhoods with freeways nearby appreciated in property values, and those without freeways remained sleepy and suburban. Except Van Ness and Lombard, which became traffic death traps. What happens when San Francisco refuses to build transportation infrastructure (which, yes, includes both subway and freeway tunnels and bridges, just like in dozens of other grown up cities around the world) is more suburban office park and subdivision sprawl around the bay, or an outflow of resources to other metros.