You know what? Fine. I think the increased trend in cycling in day, San Francisco is neat. I have questioned the sanity of those who thought plastic pylons were adequate “protection” wherever I’ve seen them. Streets are typically city-owned and managed though, and if you’re in a place with a tax regime like California’s, then you’re in a place that relies heavily on things like sales taxes and capital gains taxes whi…
None of this extended, anti-American rant has anything to do with bikes in particular. You're just complaining about doing anything at all with the government and with unions. So, build some private bike infrastructure. If Elon Musk wants to make Hyperbike, sure, let's see if it gets built and forms part of a functioning network. Also - how come your arguments don't apply to building roads themselves? How did Central…
The Bay Bridge was built in a different time under a different regulatory regime and with fewer rules. The Eastern Span, because the Western Span hasn’t been “rebuilt”, much like the Central Subway (Not Freeway, I’m intentionally switching gears here) was built in a more modern regulatory regime, over budget, in more time than planned, and with defects which will limit the effective life of the new span (near as I’m aware the Subway doesn’t suffer this particular deficiency).
Let me be clear, I support building more bike infrastructure, but if we start tomorrow without addressing the regulatory and public budgetary issues of today, it will take more time than necessary and cost more than necessary and not by small amounts. I don’t want to privatize our bloody Streets, I want a sane taxation and budgetary regime that doesn’t depend on the will of finicky voters, worse: a supermajority of them in the case of California under certain conditions.
Oh and my friend, not all criticisms are inherently Anti-American. This is just that regular kind, the kind or a dissatisfied taxpayer dissatisfied with the level of service provided by the State and Local government, and the conditions which ensure that ain’t changing anytime soon. It’s the thing that guarantees that if you dream big and imagine every City an Amsterdam, you’re going to be disappointed. The more friction there is to doing stuff, the less stuff that voters have the stomach for to have done.
tl;dr Ballot box budgeting (to say only the least!) is insane, and ballot box budgeting for bikeways will net you more twigs than bridges.