Car commuters in most large metro areas face the highest level of highway congestion on Friday afternoon, according to Inrix data provided to Governing magazine. However many metro areas have relatively minor changes in commuting times. And one quarter of commuters in metro areas with the highest Friday congestion times opt out of traffic by walking, biking, using transit, or working at home.
congestion
Land Use Impacts on Transport: How Land Use Factors Affect Travel Behavior (Victoria Transportation Policy Institute, 2012)
This paper examines how various land use factors such as density, regional accessibility, mix and roadway connectivity affect travel behavior, including per capita vehicle travel, mode split and nonmotorized travel. This information is useful for …
Train on wheels – the growing popularity of BRT in Los Angeles
The east-west Orange line is just seven years old, but skyrocketing ridership on the original North Hollywood to Warner Center section, and proven ability to relieve freeway congestion, has already lead to a four-mile extension to Chatsworth. The success signals to transit planners in Los Angeles and across the country that more attention should be paid to adding Bus Rapid Transit to our growing transit systems. In the words of one commuter, “It’s much easier to ride this than it is to drive; it’s like a train on wheels.” The recently expanded Orange Line illustrates that a bus line can be economical and popular.
Hub and Spoke: Core Transit Congestion and the Future of Transit and Development in Greater Boston (Urban Land Institute, 2012)
The hub and spoke system of the MBTA has produced record ridership, transit-oriented development patterns, and severe challenges for the system. The report focuses on the need to invest in public transit infrastructure so that the MBTA can serve its growing transit ridership, including future trips generated by the pipeline of planned developments in greater Boston.
Hub and Spoke: Core Transit Congestion and the Future of Transit and Development in Greater Boston (Urban Land Institute, 2012)
The hub and spoke system of the MBTA has produced record ridership, transit-oriented development patterns, and severe challenges for the system. The report focuses on the need to invest in public transit infrastructure so that the MBTA can serve its growing transit ridership, including future trips generated by the pipeline of planned developments in greater Boston.
Will drivers pay the price to use fastest road in the Americas?
A new stretch of toll road through central Texas linking Austin to San Antonio, State Highway 130, may soon have the highest posted speed limit in the hemisphere. The exact toll structure has not yet been defined, but the base rate for passenger vehicles could be as high as 12.5 cents per mile, a total of $5 for the 41-mile stretch. While many drivers in the state are enthusiastic about the prospect of shortened driving times over the congested I-35, auto insurance companies and highway safety advocates are less excited.
New Chicago plan aims for zero traffic deaths in ten years
In a new transportation plan Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and DOT Commissioner Gabe Klein laid out their vision of no traffic fatalities within ten years. While the safety goals received much of the recent press, abitious performance measures for sustainability, transportation choice, customer service, and economic development are also part of the plan.
Report shows that higher congestion is associated with better economies
While transportation agencies gamely battle to reduce congestion with diminishing resources, a new report suggests that traffic jams may have a good side. They are linked to strong economies.
Land Use and Traffic Congestion (AZ Department of Transportation Research Center, 2012)
A first-ever analysis of land-use and transportation demand in Arizona contradicts fears that compact, “smart growth” development, while beneficial in moderating demand, will increase localized congestion. The report, produced for Arizona DOT in March, also suggests that traditional travel demand modeling is outmoded, unable to reflect land use effects on demand, and it disputes notions that compact development is inequitable and costly.
AZ DOT report finds compact development reduces VMT without increasing localized congestion
A first-ever analysis of land-use and transportation demand in Arizona contradicts fears that compact, “smart growth” development, while beneficial in moderating demand, will increase localized congestion. The report, produced for Arizona DOT in March, also suggests that traditional travel demand modeling is outmoded, unable to reflect land use effects on demand, and it disputes notions that compact development is inequitable and costly.