The Best Reader Comments: San Francisco's Transportation Balancing Act

Can growth and mobility co-exist in San Francisco? CityLab explored that question last month in a story about the city’s plans to make new residential and commercial developments include features that discourage the use of single-occupancy vehicles—stuff like in-house car-share, subsidized transit passes, commuter shuttles, and limited onsite parking. The ordinance that would require these “transportation demand management” measures is part of a suite of policies designed to keep traffic moving in the Fog City while it tries to catch up to overwhelming housing demand.

Readers took to the comments section to debate such a policy and what else San Francisco should be doing to balance more bodies, more housing, and more cars. Some questioned the wisdom of placing new stipulations on residential development in a city that’s in famously short supply. Said commenter Louis: