For critics of widening projects, the prime example of induced demand is the Katy Freeway in Houston, one of the widest highways in the world with 26 lanes.

Immediately after Katy’s last expansion, in 2008, the project was hailed as a success. But within five years, peak hour travel times on the freeway were longer than before the expansion.

Matt Turner, an economics professor at Brown University and co-author of the 2009 study on congestion, said adding lanes is a fine solution if the goal is to get more cars on the road. But most highway expansion projects, including those in progress in Texas, cite reducing traffic as a primary goal.

“If you keep adding lanes because you want to reduce traffic congestion, you have to be really determined not to learn from history,” Dr. Turner said.

  • Stety@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    228
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    Just one more lane bro, I swear it’ll fix traffic. Just one more lane.

    • Pollo_Jack@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      72
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Just a little more trickle down bro, I promise once we privatize the next utility it will all work.

      • SnowdenHeroOfOurTime@unilem.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        27
        ·
        1 year ago

        Lol. One thing I just thought of. Ignoring the extremely obvious fact that trickle down economics is something you tell stupid people to be okay with getting the shaft… can we name one time in history (golden shower jokes aside) where something trickling onto you is a good thing? The word carries questionable connotations. I don’t want anything trickling onto me…

    • ImFresh3x@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      1 year ago

      The intended purpose isn’t to fix traffic. It’s supposed to allow more volume of cars through per day. Entirely different things.

      I’m not suggesting that’s a good thing.

    • jscummy@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      1 year ago

      Eventually there’s gotta be diminishing returns too given that every lane makes it a little harder to drive on. Can’t imagine the idiots swerving over 13 lanes of traffic because they didn’t realize they had to get off until the last minute