Traffic Congestion

Conventional planning tends to consider traffic congestion asignificant cost and roadway expansion the preferred solution. It evaluates transport system performance based on indicators such as roadway Level of Service (LOS) and peak-period traffic

September 13, 2012 - Todd Litman

Eric Jaffe reports that taxing vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) is getting a closer look in cities across America. But will concerns over privacy and government competence scuttle a promising path to reducing congestion and increasing revenue?

August 28, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Giving new meaning to the phrase "take back the streets," Neal Peirce writes about the arguments in favor of a "freeway free" future for the world's cities, which was the subject of a recent Rockefeller Foundation Conference held in Bellagio, Italy.

August 22, 2012 - Citi Wire

As the new federal transportation bill, known as MAP-21, moves to the implementation stage, major finding decisions will ride on the nuances by which the U.S. DOT defines and measures "congestion," "roadway performance," and "cost effectiveness".

August 16, 2012 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Congratulations to this year's high school, college and university graduates! The current crop includes our son, who was recruited by a major corporation. The location of his new job will affect his travel patterns and therefore the transportation costs he bears and imposes for the next few years: until now he could get around fine by walking, cycling and public transport, but his new worksite is outside the city center, difficult to access except by automobile. As a result he will spend a significant portion of his new income to purchase and operate a car, and contribute to traffic congestion, parking costs and pollution. This is an example of how land use decisions, such as where corporations locate their offices, affects regional transport patterns and costs.

June 3, 2012 - Todd Litman

With the Olympic games, and millions of visitors, descending on London this summer, Sarah Lyall looks at how the capital city is hoping to spare users of its ancient road network and temperamental subway system from a transportation nightmare.

May 29, 2012 - The New York Times

An important new study published by the Arizona Department of Transportation indicates that, contrary to claims by critics, urban corridors have considerably less congestion than suburban corridors, despite many times higher densities.

May 25, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

The Chinese government is taking productive steps to reduce the runaway congestion and air pollution that are making Beijing unlivable, writes Heshuang Zeng.

March 21, 2012 - The City Fix

Nate Berg reports on a plan by federal and city government officials in Moscow to decamp from the central city for offices in newly annexed outer regions, and to redevelop the former office buildings as housing and hotels.

February 15, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Writing in the Economix blog for the New York Times, Nancy Folbre investigates the economic impact of traffic and revives the idea of congestion pricing for Manhattan.

January 31, 2012 - The New York Times

Joe Peach compares the approach to mollifying congestion in five world cities, with contrasting results.

September 28, 2011 - This Big City

San Francisco has made steps to avert cars from Market Street, but the next steps to alleviate congestion are vague. A gradual rollout of trial experiments to gauge a method's success seems the most likely answer, reports Rachel Gordon.

September 14, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

The doubling of car traffic in the past 20 years in Mumbai has created a transit culture that has become dangerous for pedestrians. More than 44 percent of Mumbai citizens walk to work, and 78 percent road fatalities are pedestrians, a study finds.

August 9, 2011 - The Times Of India

Using remote sensing, GPS technology and other high-tech strategies, city traffic planners aim to clear Midtown's infamous traffic problems - from Queens. The $1.6 million investment will tackle a problem costing the city about $13 billion a year.

July 20, 2011 - New York Post

U. of Toronto economist Matthew Turner discusses his study that shows that building more traffic lanes attracts more traffic. Likewise, providing more transit may lure motorists out of their cars, but those motorists are replaced.

July 11, 2011 - NPR:All Things Considered

The U.S. Department of Transportation in 2007 selected five cities it thought could effectively implement congestion pricing, but none have come to fruition. What's holding back congestion pricing in the U.S.?

June 24, 2011 - Next American City

Jeff Wood of Reconnecting America interviewed a variety of thought leaders at the recent Congress for the New Urbanism. In this video, he talks with Jeff Tumlin about getting Santa Monica, California to embrace growth.

June 16, 2011 - Reconnecting America

INRIX, a traffic analysis company, recently released its 100 Most Congested Metros list. Los Angeles and New York predictably come out on top, but the more interesting finding is that traffic has increased significantly.

March 31, 2011 - INRIX

A few weeks ago the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) released its latest Urban Mobility Report, and yesterday INRIX released its National Traffic Scorecard 2010 Annual Report. Both paint a grim picture of roadway conditions. “America is back on the road to gridlock,” warns INRIX.

March 9, 2011 - Todd Litman

The Texas Transportation Institute just released its 2010 Urban Mobility Report, which is a standard reference in the road-building industry -- and is seriously flawed, says Joe Cortright.

January 20, 2011 - CEOs For Cities