> “GPT said people would hate buses, so we halved their number and slashed transportation budget… Wow, do our people actually hate buses with passion!”
You jest, but if you don't mind me going off on a tangent, this reminds me how in the summer 2020 post-lockdown-period the local authorities of Barcelona decided that to reduce the spread of COVID they had to discourage out-of-town people going to the city for nightlife... so they halved the number of night buses connecting Barcelona with nearby towns. Because, of course, making twice the number of people congregate at bus stops and making night buses even more crammed was a great way to reduce contagion. Also, as everybody knows, people's decision whether or not to party in town on a Friday night is naturally contingent on the purely rational analysis as to the number of available buses to get home afterwards.
Institutions have shown themselves not well-geared for coordinating and enacting consistent policy changes and avoiding unintended consequences under time pressure. Hopefully COVID was a lesson they learned from.
I remember how in Seoul city authorities put yellow tape over outdoor sitting areas in public parks, while at the same time cafes (many of which are next to parks, highlighting the hilarity in real time) were full of people—because another policy allowed indoor dining as long as the number of people in each party is small and you put on a mask while not eating and leave when you are finished (guess how well that all was enforced).
You jest, but if you don't mind me going off on a tangent, this reminds me how in the summer 2020 post-lockdown-period the local authorities of Barcelona decided that to reduce the spread of COVID they had to discourage out-of-town people going to the city for nightlife... so they halved the number of night buses connecting Barcelona with nearby towns. Because, of course, making twice the number of people congregate at bus stops and making night buses even more crammed was a great way to reduce contagion. Also, as everybody knows, people's decision whether or not to party in town on a Friday night is naturally contingent on the purely rational analysis as to the number of available buses to get home afterwards.