NARP Blog

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Some critics of transit, and especially rail, argue that “reducing congestion” is a main reason for building rail transit. When they see that congestion isn’t reduced, or isn’t reduced noticeably, they then attack transit as wasteful. (They ignore building new roads as a failed strategy for reducing congestion.)

The real justifications for rail transit are:

(1) to give individuals the choice of a pleasant ride instead of a nerve-wracking drive;

(2) to give developers an incentive for transit- and pedestrian-friendly development;

(3) to add substantial capacity to the transportation system--thereby facilitating economic development--with minimum use of land and minimum environmental damage.

While road congestion certainly has an economic cost, it can also be seen as indicative of a strong economy; conversely, a devastating recession would reduce congestion. The other ways to reduce congestion are: (a) severe congestion pricing on roads; (b) massive commitment to transit and transit-friendly development. The latter is probably essential before the former could be politically doable.

Conclusion: it is a classic “straw man” argument to say that eliminating or dramatically reducing congestion is a (or the) main justification for introducing rail transit. Some transit critics use this argument to get their readers to ignore transit’s real benefits.

--Ross B. Capon,
NARP Executive Director

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NARP blog

Congestion, Highways, and Transit

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Posted by NARP

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