Study Shows Urban Traffic Increasing
17 November 1999
Study Shows Urban Traffic Increasing; Tennessee Road Builders Urge Balanced Approach to Relieving Congestion
NASHVILLE--Nov. 16, 1999--An analysis of the Texas Transportation Institute's (TTI) annual urban congestion study concluded that urban traffic continues to get worse, but adding regional highway capacity has significantly slowed increases in congestion.The analysis was conducted by The Road Information Program (TRIP), a Washington D.C.-based transportation research group.
Urban areas that were more aggressive in increasing road capacity, relative to population growth, experienced congestion increases that were 40 percent less than areas less aggressive in adding more lane miles.
"While many groups have misused TTI's study in years past to claim road expansions are a dead end, the TRIP analysis shows roadway expansions will continue to play a vital role," said Kent D. Starwalt, executive vice president of the Tennessee Road Builders Association, which serves 400 firms in the state's highway construction industry. "Ultimately it will take a number of solutions to meet the transportation demands of our growing population."
Starwalt said unlike the TTI study, which created a congestion index based on a region's traffic volume and amount of roadway, the TRIP analysis also factored-in population growth. As a result, Starwalt said, the public is given a better picture of the impact of new roads on area congestion.
Among its most compelling findings, the TRIP analysis concluded:
| -- | Metro areas with the smallest increase in congestion relative to population, increased road mileage at a rate more than double the rate of urban areas where congestion increases were largest. |
| -- | Areas with higher population density had more congestion. The average population density in the top one-fourth of urban areas with the highest increase in congestion was 45 percent higher than the average population density in the bottom one-fourth. |
| -- | Congestion increases as lane miles per driver decreases. The top one-fourth of urban areas with the most congestion had 18 percent less road mileage than the bottom one-fourth of urban areas with the lowest level of congestion. |
| -- | There is no evidence to support claims that increased road capacity fuels "sprawl." In fact, urban areas that experienced the largest increase in expansion between 1982 and 1997 actually had lower increases in road growth than communities with the smallest urban expansion. |
"New roads don't cause increased traffic, more people do," said Starwalt. "To meet that challenge, we have to pursue a balanced and reasonable approach to reducing congestion on our roadways."
Starwalt said a balanced transportation plan must include improving the efficiency of existing roads through traffic signalization, ramp metering, accident response programs and improved driver information; and, where appropriate, building new roads to draw traffic from more burdened roads.
Businesses can also help by supporting flextime, alternate work schedules, telecommuting and company rideshare programs that reduce traffic during peak hours.
A complete copy of the TRIP analysis can be found at: www.tripnet.org.
