‘Traffic calming’ is a Lefty euphemism for ‘we hate cars and an efficient society’.
San Francisco may be the big city with the worst case of ‘traffic calming’. Nearly every street in the City now has an asphalt hump in the middle of both lanes.
The ostensible purpose is to slow cars down to the same speed as bicycles. If it worked, like more stop signs and stop lights, it would increase the amount of time to get around the City. I remember being able to drive to anywhere in the City in less than 15 minutes. Now the same route would take double that amount of time. Fine if you are a trust fund kid.
I’m not pro-bicycle. I’ve been to bicycle friendly cities, Tokyo and much of Europe fit that definition. It penalizes old people, is ridiculous in rain and snow, is hostile to families with children, young mothers and most of the disability community. (Typical of Lefty programs.)
The proof that ‘traffic calming’ is really anti-car and not pro-bicycle is that San Francisco streets have more potholes and bigger potholes as time goes by. The relentless growth of potholes is not helpful to bicycles. But it is easy to accomplish. So it is.
Potholes are much more effective at traffic calming that speed bumps. That is why they are increasing in San Francisco at such a fast rate.
Another car hate ordinance in San Francisco is the requirement that all new construction have only 3 parking spaces for every 4 residential dwellings. When all new apartments cost over $1 million it is hard to believe that the buyers only have 3/4ths of car. Many large apartments are built with no parking.
We are living in a dystopia that imagines only 25 year old unmarried tech workers who walk or ride the bus to work and have groceries and meals delivered to them by bicycle.
The fervid conception of a communist Luddite city planner.