Gotham's traffic remained an old and familiar problem, but transportation upgrades and building renovation projects had begun almost simultaneously, and they had already achieved considerable results.
Before the renovations, Gotham's main transportation problem had been the lack of public transit, the excessive number of privately owned cars, and the long-term failure to repair surface roads, leaving most traffic jammed onto only a handful of streets.
Unlike Metropolis, Gotham found it difficult to build a subway because of its underground water system. During the era when subway construction was booming in major American cities, Gotham had been unable to solve those technical problems, leaving it without even any old subway lines. Only the geologically stable center of the main city had two lines, which was a disaster for a metropolis with a population in the tens of millions.
Gotham's automobile market was also thriving. It had the largest used-car market on the East Coast, and with neither cars nor gasoline being particularly expensive, any family with a little savings would choose to buy a car.
Gotham's terrain also differed from Metropolis's. Most of the city was hilly, with countless slopes. Riding bicycles or motorcycles was simply asking for trouble, so many young people chose to buy cars once they started working.
As a result, Gotham had far more privately owned vehicles than neighboring Metropolis, despite Metropolis having a larger population.
In contrast, Gotham's road maintenance system was atrocious. The roads had not been wide to begin with, the materials used were poor, and too many outlaws drove absurdly overweight trucks back and forth over them. Repairs and maintenance required closing lanes as well, so downtown Gotham remained hopelessly gridlocked all year round.
Subway construction technology had indeed advanced considerably in recent years. Even without Wayne Enterprises, Gotham could have started building