Hey, Stroad Sister

MassDOT has proposed an expensive plan to reduce congestion in Fairhaven, MA…by causing congestion?

Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryWill GardnerApril 27, 2023STROADS, Safe and Productive Streets, Massachusetts, Street Design, Speeding, speeding, speed, design, congestion, traffic congestion, traffic engineering

Making the Most of Your Transportation Options—And Getting Your Neighbors Onboard

White Flint, MD, presents a great case study for how a community can begin shifting the conversation on its transportation infrastructure and development pattern.

Engagement, Edward Erfurt, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryEdward ErfurtMarch 17, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, Maryland, traditional development pattern, Development, development pattern, suburban development pattern, traffic congestion, community engagement

$4.7 Billion New Jersey Turnpike Expansion Ignores Local Leaders and Invites More Gridlock

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority plans to spend $4.7 billion updating and widening an eight-mile section of the turnpike, in the hopes of relieving congestion. Here’s why it’s not going to help.

New York's New Experiment in Fighting Gridlock

America’s first experiment with charging a toll to enter a congested urban area is going to begin in New York City next year.

Upzoned, Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 24, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, congestion, congestion pricing, traffic congestion, New York, toll roads, transportation, traffic engineering

What Causes Traffic Problems? Updating Your Mental Model

Part of why we can't agree on constructive solutions to traffic congestion is that our basic mental model of what causes traffic is wrong. But what if we made a slight update to that model?

Herriges, Transportation, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesAugust 24, 2022traffic congestion, traffic engineering, transportation, congestion, density, Development, development

Grids Are Good

These observations from a morning detour demonstrate why small neighborhood side streets are better than big, wide highways, even when it comes to moving traffic.

Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StorySeth ZerenMay 12, 2022traffic congestion, streets, highways, grid, traffic engineering, congestion, Street Design

The Reckless Driver Narrative Is Reckless. Stop Spreading It.

If we want safe and productive streets, we have to focus on the deadly design of our public spaces and not be distracted by the scapegoating narrative of the “reckless driver.”

Marohn, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnMarch 7, 2022traffic congestion, traffic engineering, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, pedestrians, #PedestrianUnfriendly, Safety, safety, public safety, Public Safety, transportation

We Need to Embrace Traffic Congestion, Not Fight It

We’ve spent trillions fighting congestion so that it’s easy to drive everywhere. But we’re fighting a losing battle, and simultaneously losing our ability to walk anywhere.

#NoNewRoads, #SlowtheCars, Infrastructure, Transportation, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnFebruary 21, 2022congestion, traffic congestion, traffic engineering, #SlowTheCars, #NoNewRoads, American Jobs Plan, infrastructure spending, Infrastructure, infrastructure, transportation

Driving Went Down. Fatalities Went Up. Here's Why.

Americans drove less during the early months of pandemic, yet traffic fatalities increased—and have yet to go back down. And the “official” explanations for it are completely wrong.

#SlowtheCars, Coronavirus, Engineering Profession, Marohn, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnJanuary 10, 2022traffic congestion, traffic engineering, engineers, Safety, transportation, car crash, coronavirus, Coronavirus, #SlowTheCars

How to Solve Traffic Congestion: A Miracle in Louisville?

Kentucky and Indiana wasted a billion dollars on highway capacity that people don’t use or value.

#NoNewRoads, City Observatory, Infrastructure, Transportation, Top StoryJoe CortrightDecember 1, 2021traffic congestion, traffic engineering, toll roads, freeways, freeway widening, City Observatory, highways, highway spending, kentucky, Indiana

10 Reasons to Not Trust ODOT's Environmental Claims

Oregon’s Department of Transportation is making phony claims that widening highways reduces pollution. Here’s why they’re wrong.

"Does Induced Demand Apply to Bike Lanes?" and Other Questions

And what this tells us about what the common buzzword really means.

#NoNewRoads, Herriges, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesAugust 25, 2021induced demand, traffic congestion, roads, highways, transit, transportation, bike lanes, traffic engineering

The Projections Fallacy

We spend billions every year on our transportation network, large percentages of it based on traffic projections—despite the fact that we don’t accurately project traffic.

Engineering Profession, Mistakes A Town Makes, Roads and Streets, Marohn, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 16, 2021traffic projections, traffic congestion, engineers, engineering profession, transportation, traffic engineering

Traffic Congestion Was Last Century’s Problem…but It Is This Century’s Solution

Our national transportation obsession has been about maximizing the amount that you can drive. We now need to focus on minimizing the amount you are forced to drive.

Marohn, #NoNewRoads, #SlowtheCars, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 29, 2021congestion, gas tax, traffic congestion, #SlowTheCars, transportation, #NoNewRoads

The Subtle Relationship Between Traffic Deaths and Congestion

What officials and engineers need to understand before sinking more resources into infrastructure investment.

#SlowtheCars, Transportation, Roads and Streets, Top StorySteffen BerrApril 5, 2021Steffen Berr, transportation, traffic congestion, #SlowTheCars, roads, streets, traffic engineering

Carpocalypse Never?

Why do predictions of “Carmageddon” so often fail to materialize? Recent lane reductions on a major bridge in Portland may hold answers, if we pay attention.

City Observatory, TransportationStrong TownsSeptember 30, 2020traffic congestion, traffic projections, Portland OR, Joe Cortright, City Observatory

What COVID-19 Teaches Us About How to Fix Freeways

If we’re willing to learn, this experiment shows us how to fight congestion and get a more efficient transportation system.

City Observatory, Transportation, Top StoryJoe CortrightApril 30, 2020traffic congestion, traffic engineering, Portland OR, City Observatory, Joe Cortright, coronavirus, Coronavirus

The Congestion Con: How Bad Land Use and Transportation Decisions Go Hand-in-Hand

The way we design our cities guarantees a flood of congestion. And then we pour billions of dollars into highway expansion, only to worsen the problem we created in the first place.

Transportation, Top StoryStephen Lee DavisMarch 6, 2020congestion, traffic congestion, freeway widening, T4A, Transportation For America, Smart Growth America, infrastructure spending, traffic engineering

No, Mathematicians Have Not "Solved" Traffic Jams

What kind of problem is traffic? Is it a mathematical or programming problem, a physics problem, an engineering problem, an economics problem, or a cultural, behavioral, or political one? The right answer: “Yes.”

Herriges, Top Story, TransportationDaniel HerrigesJanuary 28, 2020traffic congestion, traffic engineering, congestion

"Carmaggedon" Does a No-Show in Seattle. Again.

Not for the first time, the Car-pocalypse failed to materialize around Seattle’s new SR-99 tunnel. This is further proof we’ve been underestimating commuters’ ability to adjust to transportation changes. Have we also been overestimating how much they value these multibillion-dollar megaprojects in the first place?

Transportation, Top StoryJoe CortrightNovember 18, 2019traffic congestion, Seattle, congestion, toll roads, traffic engineering

Get Involved

Resources

About

Site