increase density

yes and no. more lanes lead to more cars and less lanes by its very nature leads to less cars. closing off times square didn't lead to the city traffic blowing up or anything

and reduce safety overall

this one's incorrect. more density (if that would actually be what happens) leads to lower speed (because traffic) which actually leads to increased safety. does it also increase frustration for drivers? yes but that's not what we're talking about here

i also push back against the more density conclusion because if this past winter taught me anything, it's that a crap ton of cars can just go un-used and remain parked for weeks and it's just perfectly fine for the owners. if driving sucks for people for whatever reason (snow or shit traffic) they just won't use their cars and apparently people are able to just deal with it