I live in the 2nd largest city in Michigan, and yes we do have gridlock. You can still drive from one end to the other in less than 12 minutes if you know what you are doing because our highway system here goes through the middle of the city.
And yes our mayor is a nutty lib that is trying to shove bike lanes everywhere, and have been trying to make it as hard as possible for people to drive and park in the center of town so that we all get on buses and get on a two-wheeler. They even had a plan to turn a two lane road into ONE lane where both directions of traffic drove at each other, leaving room on both sides for bike lanes!
And no we aren’t “decoupling from cars”, because we live in Michigan where water freezes and falls from the sky for half of the year, and we have better things to do than take an hour to get to a destination.
If you have little to do with your day, then get on your bike. Some of us have way too many responsibilities to waste on a 10-speed.
LOL. You are tied so tightly to your car that you don't see the point. I live in a walkable, bikeable, close-in neighborhood. My job changed several times over the years, but I've had several jobs when I was able to bike to work, with a commute of under two miles. At that range, biking is faster than driving when you figure in parking, and in rush hour it is often faster, period. (And it's free. Parking isn't, at least here.) The average bike commute in the U.S. is under five miles. Some take on longer distances, but the Spandex Ranger on the shoulder of your high-volume commuter sewer is the exception, not the rule.
(For the long distance crowd, the bike commute is their fitness program. I know, I know: suburbanites think you should drive to a gym to work out, but some folks prefer to integrate their exercise into their daily routine. Each to his own.)
We don't all live in walkable, bikeable neighborhoods in close proximity to jobs. Most suburbanites are stuck with their cars. But if walking or biking is a reasonable option, it's a great way to live. We should try to build more neighborhoods where this is possible. The point here isn't to force suburbanites out of their automobiles. The point is to build adequate pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure so that people have that option if it works for their jobs.
There are great neighborhoods all over the metro area. And there are many older, close-in neighborhoods that can become great as gentrification kicks in. Provision for pedestrian and bicycle traffic is great for kids, great for retirees, great for active young adults and families with children, and great for folks whose jobs are nearby. It's an easy, low-cost, high value-added way of anchoring neighborhoods. And done right, it can get a lot of people out of their cars, which simplifies life for the suburbanites who don't have any alternatives and must drive.
I'm retired now, but when I biked to work, a bike was as fast as driving over the ranges involved. Nowadays from time to time, I chat with folks on the trails. I have encountered a number of people biking down the Metropolitan Branch trail from Brookland, Mt. Ranier, Takoma Park, and West Hyattsville who swear that it's faster than driving. Having seen rush hour traffic on Rhode Island, North Capitol, Riggs Road, etc., I can readily believe it. Remember, a majority of bike commuters are going less than five miles, and very few are going more than ten. You are taking the long-distance commuter as the norm, but that's not the case.