Fwd: New Congestion Study

[Ken Medlin <dev-plan@moscow.com>]

Subject:     New Congestion Study
Sent:        12/15/19 4:03 PM
Received:    12/21/99 7:29 AM
From:        Jon Barrett, smartgro@micron.net
To:          smartgro@onenw.org                         [To Visionaires 
as likely useful info. for the Moscow-Pullman metro
                                                                          
   area as it faces new urban challenges. Too early is never too late.] 

=====  A message from the 'smartgro' discussion list  =====

This seems of relevance, given public discourse going on around the state
about what to do about current and future traffic.

Jon Barrett
Idaho Smart Growth



====================.

S U R F A C E   T R A N S P O R T A T I O N   P O L I C Y   P R O J E C T
1100 Seventeenth Street, N.W. 10th floor, Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: 202.466.2636; Fax: 202.466.2247; E-Mail: stpp@transact.org
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, November 16, 1999
For More Information:
Barbara McCann
(202) 466-2636

TRAFFIC CONGESTION DRIVEN BY SPRAWL
Analysis finds new roads may just make things worse
(Washington) A new analysis finds that traffic congestion is getting worse
in major American metropolitan areas because of sprawl and its impact on
driving habits. Using new data from the Texas Transportation Institute, 
the
companion analysis by the Surface Transportation Policy Project finds that
neither population growth nor too few roads are to blame for the rise in
traffic jams.
While the population in all 68 metro areas studied grew by 22 million 
since
1982, the increase in driving has crowded the roads with the equivalent of
70 million more drivers. For example, in Washington DC, a population
increase of 765,000 feels like an increase of more than 2 million on the
roadways, because residents are driving 77 percent more.
"This analysis shows just why drivers have felt so besieged by
ever-increasing traffic. Sprawl is making just about everyone drive 
farther
and more often, and that fills up the roads." said Roy Kienitz, Executive
Director of STPP. The paper, Why Are the Roads So Congested? A Companion
Analysis of the Texas Transportation Institute's Data on Metropolitan
Congestion was released today by the Surface Transportation Policy 
Project.

Sixty-nine percent of the increase in driving from 1983 to 1990 was due to
factors influenced by sprawl, such as longer car trips and a switch to
driving from walking or transit. Population growth itself was only
responsible for 13 percent of the growth in driving.
STPP found that every 10 percent increase in the highway network results 
in
a 5.3 percent increase in the amount of driving, over and above any
increases caused by population growth or other factors. This confirms 
other
research on induced travel, the phenomenon in which increased road 
capacity
generates additional traffic. In addition, road-building has not been an
effective congestion-fighting measure: the metro areas that added the most
highway space per person have seen congestion levels rise at a slightly
higher rate than areas that added few roads per resident.
"It turns out that the most common response to congestion, road building, 
is
just making things worse," said Kienitz. "We don't need more of the same: 
we
need new solutions that give people a way to avoid traffic jams."
The analysis also found that metro areas are adding highway lanes faster
than they are adding residents to drive on them. In the 68 metro areas
studied, population grew by 22 percent, while road space grew by 33 
percent.
On average, these metro areas have 10 percent more highway space per 
person
than they did in 1982. The analysis includes tables for each of the metro
areas studied.
STPP's full analysis is available at http://www.transact.org. The Texas
Transportation Institute provided STPP with early access to its data. To
view the Texas Transportation Institute's new report, please go to
http://mobility.tamu.edu.
The Surface Transportation Policy Project is a nationwide network of more
than 250 organizations, including planners, community development
organizations, and advocacy groups, devoted to improving the nation's
transportation system.

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------------------------
William K. Medlin
Dev-plan associates
930 Kenneth Street
Moscow ID 83843
208/892-0148
dev-plan@moscow.com