3 ms·
The current crop of local politicians are not to blame - it’s squarely the fault of generations of politicians and voters who severely overbuilt road systems wi
by stellar678 7y ago
The current crop of local politicians are not to blame - it’s squarely the fault of generations of politicians and voters who severely overbuilt road systems without a plan to fund maintenance.
We should tear out 50% of our asphalt and replace it with dense housing - there’s a shocking number of giant, underutilized roads that are large enough to accommodate entire buildings. That’s how you increase density and actually fund your infrastructure.
- sxates 7y agoAre you talking about oakland specifically or American cities generally? I don't really think this applies to oakland, which was built out 50-100 years ago and has almost no new roads in the last several decades. Maintenance was deferred here for way too long, and now it's going to take a long time and a lot of money to get caught up.
- HillaryBriss 7y ago> severely overbuilt road systems without a plan to fund maintenance I've heard this before (in Los Angeles), but what I don't quite get about this explanation is: how did they have enough money to build the roads in the first place, back in the days when Oakland had a smaller population and tax base? Also, does it actually cost more money to maintain the roads then to build them in the first place (really not sure, maybe it does)?