Contrary to concerns about cataclysmic traffic if the intersection of Portage and Main was opened to pedestrians, the actual impact was, well, almost nil.
…
That fear made the intersection focus of countless newspaper columns, radio shows and bar-stool discussions. It made it an issue in the mayoral election of 2014, and the subject of an unsuccessful plebiscite in 2018.
The theme through these years was that change was too risky. Nothing happened until maintenance costs associated with the concourse under the intersection made the status quo too expensive. This past summer, traffic lights were installed in spite of the fear.
And in early December, about six months later, the city reported that … the traffic is fine.
Eight years ago Atlanta had part of a major freeway collapse, cutting it off completely in both directions for a month and a half. The impact on traffic was… not actually that bad. More people used the subway and otherwise adapted.
The lesson that we should’ve learned was that induced demand works both ways: if you destroy it they will fuckin’ deal with it.