tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614760608725061478.post5516234577270971999..comments2023-07-18T06:01:05.816-07:00Comments on Transportation Problems and Policy: Rethinking Traffic CongestionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614760608725061478.post-15304044388386354792013-05-06T14:50:07.064-07:002013-05-06T14:50:07.064-07:00I agree with Taylor that congestion is indeed a st...I agree with Taylor that congestion is indeed a strong sign of economic vitality. Congestion in many ways indicates trade. No city or region is independent from any other city or region, therefor congestion is a strong symptom of mutually beneficial co-dependency manifested through commerce. <br />It was disappointing that the concept of structural redundancy was not expressed more though. I feel a great deal of congestion in this country does not originate from the typology of transit. After all, other nations that have not embraced the automobile have their own issues of congestion. I think it is pretty well understood that the base cause of congestion is not the number of vehicles on the road. It is the number of trips occurring during a specified period of time: AKA rush hour. Our embrace of the collector to main arterial as the choice structure for auto transit has compounded the issues of congestion densely populated areas have dealt with since forever. Many cities, including our own, offer transit redundancy in two major categories. 1. Competitive alternative transportation options. 2. Grid redundancy. These two factors, I believe do a great deal to alleviate urban congestion. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08117677824776110806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614760608725061478.post-81255079007692620232013-04-22T08:58:26.147-07:002013-04-22T08:58:26.147-07:00I really disagree with most of Brian D. Taylor'...I really disagree with most of Brian D. Taylor's arguments in his article. To state that cars are just going to be a part of American life is narrow-minded and ignores the equity issues inherent in car culture. If we just succumb to the idea that cars are here to stay for good, then we would be ignoring thousands of years of human history where cars did not exist and people lived well. It also ignores neighborhoods, cities, regions, cultures, etc. in the United States and around the world have either refused the presence of cars or they are at least few and far between.<br /><br />Also, to associate traffic congestion with economic vitality is ridiculous. And just like Luanda stated above, we need to view our status as a country through something else other than how much money we're spending (aka how much we're driving). GDP and GNP has never been a accurate portrayal of how healthy and happy the people of a country are. All it does is show how much we're spending. Many countries use what's called the "Happiness Index" instead of the GDP/GNP index for this kind of evaluation. While we have one of the highest scores on the GDP/GNP index, we are very far down on the Happiness Index. What does that say about us? It says "We're constantly stuck in traffic, we don't excercise because our inherent schedules as Americans forces us to drive, and we've got more roads and freeways than natural, undeveloped land...but hey, at least we're spending money!"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04170407691193216811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614760608725061478.post-62248071462965036592013-04-21T16:46:00.267-07:002013-04-21T16:46:00.267-07:00My comment is in response to the indication that t...My comment is in response to the indication that traffic congestion is a sign of good economic vitality. Is there a way to shift how we gauge what good economic activity looks like? What about healthy people and healthy communities, are they not signs that a market is functioning to meet the needs of all its consumers. It is unrealistic to believe that transportation planners can create a strategy that eradicates congestion. But congestion doesn't have to be freeways stacked on top of one another, filled with cars occupied by individuals. We must formulate strategies that get people away from individual mobility, particularly in high density areas. I think what plan of action is taken, it will require a shift in behavior of the American people. We need to address patterns of behavior. How can we influence/encourage people to think twice about driving a car by oneself, or even at all! <br />great piece Yunemi, really had me thinking.Fiscella2013https://www.blogger.com/profile/17116129355956696807noreply@blogger.com