FACT: Older, more elegant cities were generally laid out before automotive traffic existed. Retrofitting them to accommodate vast numbers of cars is something we haven't yet figured out how to do. If we had figured it out, we wouldn't be able to actually make it happen anyway, what with politics and social issues and money.
FACT: Most newer cities are based on older city designs anyway.
FACT: Most newer cities that were planned for automotive traffic underestimated how much traffic they'd have and didn't do contingency planning well enough.
FACT: Cities that are geographically constrained can't really build big new roads. Cities that aren't as geographically constrained tend to be spread out more and thus have disproportionately more traffic in their urban areas because everything's further apart.
So you're screwed either way. And they're not likely to fix it in the time remaining before cars become obsolete.
I used to have a modern commute, and now I haven't had a commute like that in many years, and I don't think I could go back. A twenty-minute commute through rural areas and a 10-minute commute through a suburban area are both maddening enough. If I can't live near work, I guess I'll try a life of crime or something.
