Traffic Congestion
Beijing's Plan To Limit Traffic Antagonizes Auto Dealers
To reduce congestion, Beijing will follow in Shanghai's footsteps set 10 years ago by limiting new car registrations; only Beijing residents will be able to obtain one,and only vehicles with such plates will be allowed entrance to city center in 2011
Transportation Research Helped Create Sprawl, New Report Says
We've been measuring traffic congestion all wrong, a new report shows, and that's been making more highways look like the solution to long commutes. They're not.
China's Road To Nowhere
Marina Hyde writes that the "horrible thing about China's 62-mile nine-day jam was that it destroyed the certainty that travel will inevitably result in arrival."
Changing Travel Demands: Implications for Planning
The graph below shows the most recent USDOT vehicle-travel data covering the last 25 years. Although vehicle-miles of travel (VMT) grew steadily during most of the Twentieth Century, in recent years the growth rate stopped and even declined a little. It is now about 10% below where it would have been had past trends continued.
How Much Does Congestion Matter?
When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s suggested that bicyclists’ needs should be accommodated in federally-funded road projects, the road lobby responded with something approaching hysteria.
Strip Malls Lose Customers During Special Events, Heavy Traffic
Houston Rodeo is actually hurting some businesses around Reliant Center.
Mega-Project Gets Miniaturized
Dwindling tax revenues force fiscal restraint in Maryland, where planners are shifting money from highway expansion to infrastructure maintenance.
Learning from TTI
This week, I finally got around to looking at the latest (2009) Texas Transportation Institute study on traffic congestion. (1) Two facts struck me as interesting. First, the great congestion surge of the past decade or two is over. In most large metropolitan areas, congestion (measured as hours lost to congestion per traveler) peaked around 2005, and actually declined in 2005-07. For example, in Atlanta, hours lost to congestion peaked at 61, and decreased to 57 by 2007. Congestion increased in only three of the fourteen largest regions (Washington, Detroit and Houston)- and in each of these by only one hour per traveler.
London's Naked Street Experiment
London is attempting to make streets safer for cyclists and motorists by turning off traffic lights in one part of the city for a short amount of time.
Fight Congestion, Boost the Economy
Reducing traffic congestion can have big economic benefits for communities, according to a new study from the Reason Foundation.
Japan's Stimulus Package Lowers Highway Tolls To Stimulate Travel
Japan's four major highway operators will drastically lower their tolls, thanks to a generous government economic stimulus package aimed to encourage motoring during the major holidays. The operators are preparing for the enormous traffic jams.
Will Removing Traffic Lights Help Congestion?
The Town Council of Ealing, U.K. is experimenting with covering up its traffic lights at certain intersections, which they believe will increase safety and awareness.
Lagos BRT Seen As Success
Officials in Lagos, Nigeria, are praising the recently installed Bus Rapid Transit system as making distinct improvements in mobility for the crowded and growing African city.
Understanding San Francisco's Congestion Pricing Study
In this op-ed, the executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority makes a case for congestion pricing in the City, though he is quick to indicate the SFCTA is only studying the concept to see if it could be applied there.
RAND Corp. Offers SoCal Short Term Congestion Fixes
Author Paul Sorensen details the findings of a recent RAND study recommending short term (i.e., within five years) fixes for rampant congestion in Southern California.
Traffic-Fighting Proposition Falls Short
According to Neal Payton, Santa Monica's Proposition T, intended to cut traffic growth, is useless.
HOT & Green Proposal For Illinois Tollway
What do you get when you designate a carpool lane on a toll road for hybrids and carpoolers? A 'green' lane, say Illinois planners. However, they still pay the toll. Now add a "HOT lane overlay" to it - solo drivers can use it for a 'premium'.
No Relief for Chicago's Drivers
Paradoxically, Chicago's roads are more gridlocked than ever despite fewer trips by car overall due to gas prices.
Berkeley's BRT Faces Backlash
Business owners fear dedicated transit lane would discourage shopping along Telegraph Avenue, while proponents look to BRT as a cheap way to clear up traffic.
Houston Thinks About Changing Lifestyles to Fight Congestion
This segment from NPR features a discussion with Houston Mayor Bill White about the city's increasing congestion, the limits of zoning, and the population's reaction to rising gas prices.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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
