Is Traffic Congestion a Good Thing?

Why Congestion Is Good(Damien Newton , LA Streets Blog, Feb. 1, 2008)

Also discussed here: What Do These Things Have in Common: Smog, Highway Widenings, and Congestion?( Damien Newton , LA Streets Blog, Apr. 29, 2010)

And here : Congestion as policy. (I have seen worse.) (Eric Britton, WorldStreets, Nov. 28, 2012)

Being stuck in traffic for many commuters is a bad experience and anything that can be done to alleviate it is a good thing- widening the road, increasing the speed limit or even adding a toll road with faster flowing traffic. All of these things come with a price and sometimes are counter-productive as more traffic is attracted to these alternatives resulting in even bigger traffic jams and more vehicle emissions and poorer air quality. In today’s review, we examine some of the benefits of congestion and even consider allowing congestion to grow is a deliberate policy option- the do nothing option, if you wish.  Certainly would be cheaper than building a new road or maintaining an old one that does not meet maximum capacity!

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