Wellstone City Wednesday – Traffic

Wellstone City has the same problem that most major urban centers have: there just isn’t enough space. The city started out growing from the fort on the island, and once the island was full (except for the Old Parish, which is still home to some larger homes with lots of property around them); buildings were either destroyed or went vertical for more space. Over the years, roads were made wider where they could be, parking ramps were added where the land could be made available, but, like all major cities, Wellstone has a critical issue.

The traffic just sucks.

Wellstone City has a plethora of public transportation options. There is a light rail system that was put in and while most of it is on the ground, some of it has been elevated. The city has multiple bus lines that it maintains very well. There has never been an option explored for a subway because of the low elevation of the city, the fact that it’s an island, and presence of the extremely hard wellstones that could be lurking just beneath the surface. There is the 102, the Interstate loop through the city that connects it to the mainland, and that helps alleviate the traffic issue, but at rush hour, it turns into a parking lot.

As a result, car ownership isn’t as big of a dream in Wellstone as it is in other parts of the country. Space is at a premium for parking, car theft rates can be high, and the public transportation is usually faster than the major traffic routes anyway. There is one group that makes out like a bandit though, the so-called Cabbie’s Union. They are in charge of not only the taxi service, but a fair number of the couriers, and it’s rumored that they also have under-the-table deals with the bus and rail lines as well. If the criminal elements have each other and the law over a barrel, then the Cabbie’s Union has a very tight grip over every other citizen and visitor in Wellstone City. They are a silent group, but very powerful, and after years of having a choke-hold on the public transportation in Wellstone City, they are also very wealthy.