• Embed Doc
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
346
By David T. Hartgen, Ph.D., P.E. and M. Gregory Fields
Project Director: Robert W. Poole, Jr.
August 2006
Building Roads to Reduce tRaffic congestion in
ameRica\u2019s cities: How mucH and at wHat cost?
POLICY
STUDY
The Galvin Mobility Project

America\u2019s insuf\ue000cient and deteriorating transportation network is choking our cities, hurt-
ing our economy, and reducing our quality of life. But through innovative engineering,
value pricing, public-private partnerships, and innovations in performance and manage-
ment we can stop this dangerous downward spiral. The Galvin Mobility Project is a major
new policy initiative that will signi\ue000cantly increase our urban mobility and help local
of\ue000cials move beyond business-as-usual transportation planning.

Reason Foundation

Reason Foundation\u2019s mission is to advance a free society by developing, applying, and
promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of
law. We use journalism and public policy research to in\ue001uence the frameworks and actions
of policymakers, journalists, and opinion leaders.

Reason Foundation\u2019s nonpartisan public policy research promotes choice, competition,
and a dynamic market economy as the foundation for human dignity and progress. Reason
produces rigorous, peer-reviewed research and directly engages the policy process, seeking
strategies that emphasize cooperation, \ue001exibility, local knowledge, and results. Through
practical and innovative approaches to complex problems, Reason seeks to change the way
people think about issues, and promote policies that allow and encourage individuals and
voluntary institutions to \ue001ourish.

Reason Foundation is a tax-exempt research and education organization as de\ue000ned under IRS code 501(c)(3). Reason Foundation is supported by voluntary contributions from indi- viduals, foundations, and corporations. The views are those of the author, not necessarily those of Reason Foundation or its trustees.

Copyright \u00a9 2006 Reason Foundation. Photos used in this publication are copyright \u00a9
1996, 2006 Photodisc, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Galvin Mobility Project is made possible by the generous support of Robert Galvin.
The Galvin Mobility Project
T
ra\ue001\ue000c congestion is choking our cities, hurting our economy, and reducing our quality

o\ue001 li\ue001e. Rush-hour delays rob us o\ue001 time with our \ue001amilies, and commute times o\ue001ten
dictate where we live and work. The impact our inadequate transportation network has
on our economy is alarming. We waste an estimated $63 billion annually in time and
\ue001uel while sitting in tra\ue001\ue000c. Moreover, businesses and their customers bear enormous costs
associated with tra\ue001\ue000c-related logistics problems, delivery delays, poor transportation
reliability, and \ue001ewer potential employees within commuting distance.

Reason Foundation is developing practical, cost-e\ue001\ue001ective solutions to tra\ue001\ue000c congestion
with the Galvin Mobility Project, a policy initiative that will signi\ue000cantly increase our urban
mobility through innovative engineering, value pricing, public-private partnerships, and
innovations in per\ue001ormance and management. Under the leadership o\ue001 Reason\u2019s Director o\ue001
Transportation Studies Robert Poole, Reason\u2019s original research is building comprehensive
policy recommendations that enhance mobility and help local o\ue001\ue000cials move beyond
business-as-usual transportation planning.

The old canard \u201cwe can\u2019t build our way out o\ue001 congestion\u201d is not true. Adding capacity
and improving management o\ue001 roads can eliminate chronic congestion. Public-private
partnerships to build and operate toll \ue001acilities have sparked innovations in engineering
and design, overcoming obstacles such as limited right-o\ue001-way and noise pollution. Capital
markets also provide access to much-needed investment capital and ensure that new
highway capacity is built where it is most needed.

In addition to adding road capacity, changing the way highways are managed can help to maximize the use o\ue001 the capacity we have. The introduction o\ue001 Intelligent Transportation System technologies can speed resolution to tra\ue001\ue000c delays, and electronic toll collection technologies can make extensive tolling practical. More importantly, variable pricing o\ue001 lanes can keep tra\ue001\ue000c fowing all day by responding to changing demand.

We can solve our congestion woes. We can upgrade to an innovative, market-driven,
world-class transportation in\ue001rastructure. We can change the institutions that guide our
transportation decisions to create greater responsiveness, robustness, and e\ue001\ue000ciency. The
Galvin Mobility Project provides the ideas and tools needed to make change happen.

of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...