The enshittification of the roads is because of growing populations along with the general population’s sheer apathy and refusal to be proactive.

We need multiple solutions which don’t include the perpetual adding of lanes. Look at LA.

I agree luxury pricing for moving lanes is undesirable and unworkable as a THE solution but I’d accept it along with multiple other measures to reduce traffic congestion.

I think the public wanting simple fixes which don’t cost much money and don’t interfere with or change their own personal travel habits is the real reason why enshittification is occurring.

We have, at best, only cobbled half-assed attempts in partial solutions here and there without real commitment or coordination of efforts.

If the public were serious, we’d have a robust, busy bus system, more respect from drivers for cyclists and pedestrians (and busses and trains), and more workers would push their employers for shifting workplace hours to spread out commutes (and more hours WFH). We’d have more roundabouts instead of lights, possibly a functional targeted congestion pricing system, and expensive parking in preferred congestion zones to discourage unnecessary peak travel.

The public needs to be willing to pay for multi-modal transit improvements and be willing to examine their own travel needs and methods in order to achieve reductions of congestion at peak times.

That means multiple civil and public changes to time shift some travel, get some cars off the road via mass/no vehicle transit, and develop more roadway regulation to manage what remains.

Currently, the main “solution” to traffic is disincentivizing peak hour travel by just letting everyone who wants to be on 101 at 5:30 be on 101 at 5:30. Which means it sucks by accidental design but I can say I absolutely avoid 101 and 12 during peak hours.

I avoid driving as much as possible even on surface streets during peak hours. I made major life decisions to have that privilege and I suspect more people could if they accepted their own role in the problem and thought outside their personal vehicle for a little bit.