The Vicious Cycle of Adding Capacity for Cars

Dan Bertolet argues that adding expanding car capacity in cities just inspires more people to drive and ruins the qualities that make the city attractive in the first place.

1 minute read

September 5, 2010, 7:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Bertolet was inspired to write in response to naysayers speaking out against expanding bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in Seattle:

"The crucial point is that car infrastructure not only encourages driving, it also sabotages mobility by any other means. It's a vicious cycle: roads beget sprawl begets car dependence begets roads, and so on. And the result is an ever-expanding built environment in which walking, biking, and transit are not viable options.

The only way to break the vicious cycle is to invest our limited transportation dollars in infrastructure that will help make walking, biking, and transit more attractive than driving."

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 in Publicola

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 28, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

May 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Pedestrian holding visual impairment cane pressing crosswalk button.

Chicago Judge Orders Thousands of Accessible Ped Signals

Only 3% of the city's crossing signals are currently accessible to blind pedestrians.

15 minutes ago - DRA Legal

People on bike wearing helmets stopped at intersection waiting for passing cars in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Swaps Car Lanes for Bikeways in Unanimous Vote

The project will transform one of the handful of streets responsible for 80% of the city’s major crashes.

1 hour ago - Philly Voice

Screenshot of shade map of Buffalo, New York with legend.

Interactive Map Reveals America's “Shade Deserts”

Launched by UCLA and American Forests to combat heat-related deaths, the tool maps the shade infrastructure for over 360 U.S. cities.

June 3 - UCLA Newsroom

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.