If you've been driving for a decade or more, you've lived through this story: highway is congested, so they want to expand it. It's under construction and nearly unusable for a few years, after which traffic is better for a year or two, then its right back to square one. This problem is called 'induced demand.' People will use the infrastructure that is built. Build more lanes and more people will drive. Build a protected bus lane that goes faster than traffic, and people will take that. People just want to the most convenient mode of travel.
I don't like driving every day, so I take the bus, even though it's in the same traffic That's induced demand. <sidenote> When you think "why is there all this traffic?," you arepartof that traffic. </sidenote> The state DOT's have always built and expanded highways, and they are stuck with that hammer, seeing every traffic problem as a nail. Just take a look at this page:three active projects, ALL just expansions.Adding lanes doesn't do anything, just allow more cars to create more low-density traffic. To help rethink these highway construction efforts, check out these projects:Rethink 35,Better Streets Chicago,Lid I5.
All the pictures that didn't find homes in the other two posts:
You've got to build bypasses
Didn't seem worth it
Fixed it
Yes it is
I like that the city I work in started leaving bikes around everywhere
