[enoch_r]

> You just can't direct traffic like this if your infrastructure can't handle the load to begin with; it's selfish beyond belief.

I don't see what's "selfish" about this. Different roads serve different purposes--these sorts of neighborhood streets are meant to be quiet streets shared by a variety of modes of transportation heading in various directions, freeways like the 405 are designed to accommodate large numbers of motor vehicles heading in a single direction. They are designed for these distinct purposes--they differ in their construction materials, in the number of intersections, in their safety features, and in their proximity to homes.

To me, the idea that we should just declare the two equivalent when traffic is sufficiently bad sounds a bit like saying that it's selfish of pedestrians to not allow drivers to use the sidewalk at rush hour.