Traffic Congestion

Why Traffic Never Gets Better
Despite abundant research showing that roadway expansions provide limited congestion relief and increase long-term traffic problems, they still occur due to wishful thinking: advocates claim that “this” project is different.

Transportation Rx: Treating Traffic Glut Like Doctors Treat Sinus Congestion
To cure chronic traffic congestion, U.S. cities should consider a prescribed treatment approach, using technology and road pricing strategies to target the root cause instead of just managing the symptoms.

Want to Reduce Traffic Congestion? Cash Out Employer-Paid Parking
Employer-paid parking will undermine New York City’s congestion tolls. But parking cash-out policies like those in California and Washington D.C. can solve the problem.

Leveraging Holistic Platforms For Urban Mobility Solutions
How a ‘control tower’ approach can improve mobility and reduce congestion and emissions.

Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.

A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.

Evidence for Tolls as a 'Surefire' Traffic Congestion Fix
Traffic on a Louisville freeway fell by half after a toll was implemented. Could this be the best way to reduce traffic congestion?

Study: E-Commerce Decreases Traffic Congestion in China
Examining congestion data from 94 Chinese cities before and after Alibaba's Singles' Day, this study found evidence for a modest drop in traffic following the Cyber Monday-like event.

Social Equity Cited in Veto of California Road Pricing Bill
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a unique road pricing bill due to concerns that charging a fee would limit access to driving on two blocks of Lombard Street, a popular tourist attraction in San Francisco that is severely congested.

Smart Congestion Costing: A Critical Evaluation of the 'Urban Mobility Report'
The new "Urban Mobility Report" provides widely-cited congestion cost estimates. However, its analysis is neither comprehensive nor objective. Anybody using these estimates should understand its omissions and biases.

The Case for Slower Cities
Lower speed limits make cities safer, more livable, and, in the long run, more functional.

No, Traffic Congestion Does Not Really Cost Every American $1,348 Annually
The INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard exaggerates congestion costs in order to enhance the value of its traffic monitoring services. A little skepticism is justified.

A Better Travel Experience
Transportation engineers sometimes treat people as objects to be moved as quickly and cheaply as possible from one location to another, but people have preferences and feelings which should be considered when planning transport systems.

In Philadelphia, Improving Bus Service by Tackling Traffic Congestion
With buses crawling along through downtown Philadelphia, the city has plans to step up law enforcement to help them move faster.

220,000 EV Drivers in California to Lose Carpool Lane Perk in 2019
The good news: the Clean Air Vehicle program for electric vehicles will be extended for at least three years. The bad news: not all EVs that have a decal now will be able to be renewed. Congestion on HOV and HOT lanes is a major concern.

Another Reason Motorists Should Support Road Tolling
Two things motorists detest: tolls and congestion. Tolls, if effectively applied, lessen congestion, but at a high cost to drivers. However, steep tolls also provide a political incentive to "fix the bottlenecks," as shown by the 66 Express Lanes.

Widening I-80 from Davis to Sacramento: HOT Lane or HOV Lane?
Caltrans is studying a plan to widen 16 miles of Interstate 80 through Solano and Yolo counties, over the Yolo Bypass. Initially, the plan called for a carpool lane, but uncertainty about funding makes a toll lane a possibility.

Op-Ed: 'Public Mood' Has Turned Against Cars in Cities
A survey of recent planning decisions demonstrates that cities are no longer necessarily looking to more and bigger highways to solve their traffic problems.

If Traffic Costs Americans Billions, What About Waiting for Coffee?
The folks over at City Observatory brew up a "Cappuccino Congestion Index" to show that anything can be shown to cost Americans vast sums of money.

Could Boston Join Seattle in Proposing Congestion Pricing?
The compelling reason behind Boston's looking at congestion pricing is traffic congestion, unlike Seattle where it is being viewed as a major way to reduce greenhouse gas reductions and fund public transit.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research