CONTAINING TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN AMERICA

Abstract

This paper analyses the causes of the increasingly serious problem of urban traffic congestion in the USA, and discusses some possible approaches to its solution. The problem has become so severe that many Americans now view it as the most important urban threat. Its costs are increasing, not only in lost leisure, but also in terms of increased daily stress, declining productivity, and deteriorating quality of life. More and more American cities are passing draconian no-growth or slow-growth traffic measures. Causes of congestion include: (1) traffic increasing faster than available road capacity; (2) the growth of middle-aged two-worker households with few children; (3) location of more workplaces on urban fringes, leading to more suburb-to-suburb commuting; (4) long distances between homes and workplaces. It is agreed that America's congestion problems have no quick solutions. Because each strategy has identifiable winners and losers, bargaining and consensus-building become essential tools of implementation; removal of existing biases for motorists must be matched by incentives to travel by public transport. Demand side approaches include shifting: (1) demand over space; (2) demand over time; (3) travel by mode. Supply side approaches include: (1) new road construction; (2) new technologies that could affect travel modes. 'Gridlock' occurs, not only on the roads, but also in institutions and political systems. (TRRL) (Author/TRRL)

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