Architectural detail, Nakagin capsule tower (Tokyo, 1972) from Ignant.de

Combine two assumptions — further population growth in Metro Vancouver and continued vehicle use at the current rate — and the result is a big mess of trouble.

Blogger Gordon Price has flagged a recent mini-lecture/video by Matt Taylor, who considers the effects on Metro Vancouver of having 730,000 additional cars on the road by 2041. This number is derived from the crude multiplier of forecast population growth times current vehicle miles driven per capita.

We would need to invest the equivalent of one rapid transit project per year to handle the additional traffic plus many billions of dollars for new parking spaces.

The proposition is ridiculous, of course. Mr. Taylor is campaigning for rapid transit as a better alternative.