Traffic Congestion Is Here To Stay

Ever increasing traffic congestion is an inescapable condition of life in large and growing metropolitan areas throughout the world. This situation arises from a growing imbalance between our desire for mobility and the ability of transportation systems to meet this daily demand. Traffic congestion is quickly becoming one of society's most pressing problems, and commuters are often frustrated by "policymakers' inability to do anything about the problem." Although governments may never be able to completely eliminate road congestion, this policy brief by Anthony Downs of the Brookings Institution describes several ways that cities and states may move to curb the problem. [Editor's note: this page contains a link to the complete report in PDF format (99 KB)]