How to reduce traffic congestion — oh what a question!
Why? Because as we’ve all experienced, congestion is frustrating, it wastes valuable time, and it has HUGE social and environmental impacts.
But what if there was a really simple answer for it all. Does that really exist? Does it have to be complicated?
Well, for some engineers, the answer is probably, “of course there’s a solution, just add more concrete.”
But if we look at the underlying issues of traffic congestion, we know that people are suffering through that bottleneck for two reasons: (1) that “congested” area is still the shortest route from point A to point B, and (2) there isn’t a realistic alternative for them.
So what’s the real solution then? It’s simple — Put People Over Cars!
Our Current Strategies on How to Reduce Traffic Congestion
Our current solutions aren’t working. They’re outdated, they’re astronomically expensive, and they all cater to one thing — THE CAR.
1. The Worst Solution — Build More Lanes
Most people see ‘building more lanes’ as an obvious and common-sense solution — “If there’s not enough room, make more.” The problem with this, however, is that building more lanes doesn’t actually solve the problem.
In the short term, maybe, but in the long run, absolutely not. As most transit planners would agree, creating more room only increases demand, thus sending the problem back to square one. Additionally, it’s extremely costly, causes neighborhood displacement, and has huge environmental consequences.
2. The Second Worst Solution — Add “Bandaid” Engineering Solutions to Traffic Congestion
Adding quick “bandaid” engineering solutions for traffic congestion is indeed a quick and effective fix, but it’s not perfect.
Things like traffic lights, circles, and road signs will certainly help, but they’re not exactly the best use of public funds and they’re certainly not a permanent solution.
3. The Third Worst Solution (and sometimes acceptable solution)– Change the Rules of the Road
This includes things like rationing, charging/pricing for road use, tolls, and commuter lanes. Is this an effective solution right now? In some cases, yes, implement often and liberally when it makes sense. But is it a permanent solution? Not really, it still caters to the car.
The Best Way to Solve Traffic Congestion? Put People Over Cars
Putting people over cars is a permanent solution. It’s cheaper, it’s more efficient, and it’s socially and environmentally beneficial. But to embrace it, people need to understand the “how” and “why.”
So, to outline the “why” and “how,” here are 9 easy ways to solve traffic congestion from the perspective of putting people first.
1. Help the neighborhoods that have been become car-centric, especially those that have been displaced
During the 50s, 60s, and 70s, some 48,000 miles of interstate were paved across the United States, bulldozing their way through city neighborhoods.
Many of these highways took advantage of an urban renewal sentiment, completely gutting neighborhoods in the process — some neighborhoods became isolated and separated from their city while others were torn down completely.
Take, for example, New Orleans, where the urban poor have been pushed out of the city center and into the surrounding neighborhoods. The result? — the most vulnerable among us are the least equipped to handle the change — they have to travel further, spend more money, and do more with less.
Today, we not only owe it to these neighborhoods to reestablish their identity, but to connect them by any means necessary.
2. Make cars the last priority among transportation
Cars are currently the first and primary priority for almost every situation — this mentality NEEDS to change.
Because if we don’t change our ways, it’s only a matter of time before the problem becomes insurmountable.
So, if we’re going to make any headway at all, we need to completely overhaul our rationale of what a city is supposed to be.
And if we want to change the status quo, it all starts with messaging. Advertise, work with interest groups, partner with advocacy groups, have nonprofits get involved — make a connection and establish a link between their interest and yours.
Get the message out and SHOW people that there is a problem and a solution.
3. Create no car zones in high pedestrian areas
Most cities have some sort of pedestrian/car mixed area that makes you scratch your head. There are a thousand people walking around while car after car inches their way through the crowd — Pike Place in Seattle, the French Quarter in New Orleans, 6th street in Austin — the list is endless.
But more likely than not, these places have been carless at some point in their past, or were at least less car-centric — it wouldn’t take much to reintroduce that concept today.
Banning cars and creating no-car zones eliminates traffic congestion completely. It sounds extreme, but the only reason we don’t do it is because people can’t comprehend a city without cars.
But imagine a place where you can move around freely without the anxiety of a car whirling by. You don’t have to look at traffic jams, you don’t have to spend hours looking for parking, you don’t have to pay for gas, and you don’t have to pay for car insurance.
In this car-free area, you can go everywhere on foot, by bicycle, or by public transportation. If you want to go out, there’s a place within walking distance. If you want to go to a game or a concert, you just walk there.
4. Green beautification throughout the design process
If we are to move towards a carless future, it’s vital that green infrastructure be included throughout the design process.
And unfortunately, because roads and highways are designed to facilitate fast and easy travel, construction often overlooks these environmental concerns and road planners and developers tend to ignore the needs of the natural world. This is a problem.
Roads are paved, trees are removed, and green space is destroyed — all in the name of driving.
In order to create sustainable transportation networks that don’t compromise the needs of the environment, we need to take a different approach and work with nature.
So, design with green infrastructure in mind. Consider how projects interact with the natural world and think of ways to overlap them.
With this approach, transportation networks will not only be sustainable, but more attractive and enjoyable.
5. Embrace innovative solutions, traffic congestion technology
Technology has come a long way, especially in the transportation realm. Everything from Google Maps, pedestrian tracking systems, and adaptive traffic signals have opened up doorways that we couldn’t even have imagined just a decade ago. But, as with everything listed here, our solutions still need to put people over cars.
Take, for example, the concept of autonomous vehicles picking people up and dropping them off across a city. “Theoretically” they could one day work in unison, serving as some sort of autonomous Ubers. And yes, this idea has been touted before (quite regularly actually).
But why embrace a car-first approach when we can get rid of them completely.
It makes way more sense to embrace technological solutions that favor the pedestrian. Think how Google Maps includes a bicycle option while Apple Maps doesn’t. That’s a good place to start.
At the end of the day, it needs to be about the person. We need to be able to navigate our cities efficiently and technology can help.
6. Embrace the new wave of electric vehicles, but prioritize ‘no cars’ over ‘electric cars’
Embrace the new wave of electric vehicles, but prioritize ‘no cars’ over ‘electric cars’
Our turn towards electric cars is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean we should prioritize them over everything else. While the electric car revolution should be welcomed — as it is a clean (or cleaner) alternative to gas-powered cars — it shouldn’t take precedent over a ‘no cars’ way of thinking.
We should be advocating for a world without cars, and with that in mind, we should be doing everything we can to construct a world where cars are no longer necessary.
7. Create a “Cars Over People” master plan
There are plans for everything — comprehensive plans, hazard mitigation plans, capital improvement plans, stormwater plans — there’s no reason why a city can’t adopt a “Cars Over People” plan.
Cars Over People plans can provide a long-term framework for a city and offer a permanent solution. Additionally, it ensures that there are actionable objectives where the city is held accountable.
8. Incentivize tiny cars, scooters, e-bikes, and small electric vehicles
Tiny cars, scooters, e-bikes, and other small transportation can help ease traffic congestion. But there needs to be incentives for people to have them.
Because if we continue to build an infrastructure that supports larger cars — parking spaces, parking lots, wide lanes, wider roads — then we’ll continue to see big cars use them.
But if we start building infrastructure that supports transportation options that are smaller, then we’ll see a reduced demand.
Take, for example, the town of Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi — where there’s a transportation system centered around golf carts — even going as far as to create a golf cart ordinance.
Was their intention to reduce traffic congestion? Probably not. But regardless, they’ve created something that’s unique, environmentally friendly, and reduces the number of cars on the road.
Another example where tiny cars have thrived can be found in Beijing’s southwestern outskirts where the city has developed an entire district for them. Their tiny cars are known as “cheap cars” and they are one of the most popular modes of transportation in the city.
9. Study, embrace, and build bicycle infrastructure
BUILD MORE BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE!
Bicycles have been around for nearly two centuries. They work, they’re reliable, they’re efficient, they’re healthy, and they don’t cause pollution.
If we want to get rid of cars, then we’ve got to study, embrace, and build additional bicycle infrastructure. It’s easier, it costs less, it’s safer, it’s equitable, it saves space, and it has economic and environmental benefits.
BLUF: Embrace a bicycle master plan, integrate it with other plans, and build more bicycle infrastructure.
Benefits of Reducing Traffic Congestion
Solving traffic congestion is not an easy task. It’s going to take time and it’s going to be hard.
And to do so, we’re going to have to monumentally shift the way we think about cars.
By ridding ourselves of the “just add more lanes” way of thinking and embracing a “people over cars” mentality, we can change the dynamics of transportation and move towards a carless future.
- A future with fewer cars
- A future with less pollution
- A future with equity in mind
- A future with sustainability in mind
- A future with people in mind
- A future that makes sense
And at this point, traffic congestion isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s a problem — an environmental problem, an economic problem, and a health problem.
But if we build our cities with an eye towards the future, we can make it easier and more desirable to walk and use public transit, we can install bike lanes and pedestrian paths, we can build reliable light rail and subway systems, we can create smaller, more compact blocks, and we can finally make a transportation system that is accessible to everyone.
It’s time to rethink how we approach traffic congestion.
It’s time to help the neighborhoods that have been displaced.
It’s time to stop building more lanes and start building infrastructure that works.
It’s time to stop using band-aid engineering solutions and start thinking long-term.
It’s time to move towards a better future.
It’s time to put people over cars!
