Traffic Congestion

AI-generated aerial view of freeway interchange with digital lines overlaid to indicate AI traffic management

Leveraging Holistic Platforms For Urban Mobility Solutions

How a ‘control tower’ approach can improve mobility and reduce congestion and emissions.

September 10, 2023 - Timothy Menard

A toll payment facility in Florida.

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.

March 21, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Yellow on black "Expect Delays" traffic sign

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.

March 14, 2023 - Todd Litman

Interstate 65 Louisville

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?

November 19, 2021 - City Observatory

Alibaba

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.

November 3, 2019 - IDEAS

San Francisco, California

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.

October 18, 2019 - ABC KGO TV 7 - San Francisco

Texas Highways

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.

August 29, 2019 - Todd Litman

Radar Speed Sign

The Case for Slower Cities

Lower speed limits make cities safer, more livable, and, in the long run, more functional.

August 22, 2019 - CityLab

Congestion versus mobility

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.

February 13, 2019 - Todd Litman

Subway Station

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.

January 17, 2019 - Todd Litman

SEPTA bus

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.

October 4, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Carpool Lane Sticker

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.

September 21, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Bay Bridge Toll

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.

September 4, 2018 - WTOP

Davis and Sacramento

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.

June 5, 2018 - The Sacramento Bee

Delay Sign

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.

May 4, 2018 - The New York Times

Caffeine

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.

April 20, 2018 - City Observatory

Massachusetts

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.

April 19, 2018 - IBTTA Tolling Points

California

Silicon Valley Isn't Really Over

Though a handful of recent articles predicted "peak Silicon Valley," new numbers show the region is still producing lots of good jobs and attracting plenty of venture capital.

March 22, 2018 - Bloomberg View

New York Parking

New York City Congestion Pricing Plan Deserves to Move Forward

Congestion pricing, done right (details matter), mitigates a downside of urban density: traffic congestion. Professor John Rennie Short explores the history of congestion pricing, its application in Singapore and London, and why it's good for NYC.

February 13, 2018 - The Conversation

Waze

Flooded With Navigation App Users, a Town Closes Its Streets

Navigation apps like Waze often reroute drivers onto residential streets that would be quiet otherwise. With some residents unable to leave their driveways, the New Jersey borough of Leonia has taken an extreme measure against the problem.

January 5, 2018 - The New York Times

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