For optional travel, the existence of Uber and Lyft has made it much more likely that I’d go into Boston for a dinner or evening of entertainment.
In that sense, Uber also added to sidewalk congestion as I’d previously have spent that time and money in a Cambridge or western suburban location. With convenient and reasonably priced transport, my life is more flexible and enjoyable. Whether that’s worth the trade-offs is a valid question to entertain, but it seems odd to focus only traffic rather than also looking at how much of that traffic is a result of people enjoying life more.
In that sense, Uber also added to sidewalk congestion as I’d previously have spent that time and money in a Cambridge or western suburban location. With convenient and reasonably priced transport, my life is more flexible and enjoyable. Whether that’s worth the trade-offs is a valid question to entertain, but it seems odd to focus only traffic rather than also looking at how much of that traffic is a result of people enjoying life more.