Title: OPERATIONAL SOLUTIONS TO TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Abstract: Recent research shows that traffic congestion costs, including time lost, has tripled in the last 20 years. In this article, the author explores the reasons for this increase and offers some suggestions for operational solutions to traffic congestion. Congestion studies show that about half of traffic delay is nonrecurring, attributable to temporary problems such as traffic incidents, work zones, poor weather, and special events. The other half is delay that occurs in the same place at the same time, day after day. The author outlines the four-part approach that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) supports: proper maintenance of the current road and bridge system; new construction of roads, bridges, and nonhighway infrastructure; a balanced approach to transportation policies between highways, public transportation, and transportation of freight; and the use of systems management and operations strategies. The author stresses that better management and operations will not replace the need to build new roads or add transit capacity, but they can help make the most of the infrastructure already in place. Indeed, operational strategies can be less expensive and quicker to implement than infrastructure-building projects, and can be very effective in reducing congestion and stretching infrastructure performance. The author discusses six types of technologies that can improve the transportation community's ability to operate the system and travelers to make their own decisions about traveling: information-gathering, information-sharing, control, vehicle-based, and vehicle-to-roadside-to-home-base technologies. One sidebar describes the work of the National Transportation Operations Coalition, a formal partnership of more than 20 transportation associations.
Publication Year: 2004
Publication Date: 2004-11-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 6
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot