Abstract: Traffic moved to the suburbs as a result of affordable housing for those with urban jobs, workers' willingness to move to very far suburbs for more affordable housing, and the unwillingness of Americans to go to work any other way than alone in their own car. Brisbane, Australia implemented an anti-congestion plan, which could easily be implemented in many U.S. suburbs, that consists of five road tunnels that link the inner-city to the suburbs and charges toll (essentially congestion fees) during peak times to encourage drivers to travel earlier or later. Philadelphia addressed the problem by extending its public transportation system such that it lets 21.9% of commuters use it, as well as increasing road miles in the city faster than the rate of population growth. Drivers in the Washington D.C. area of Northern Virginia and Maryland suburbs can use a website, Trafficland, to check on before they leave, or they an subscribe to the My Roads Express service, which provides express views for drivers to compare and devise alternate routes. Programs such as these, however, need adequate funding and political support to be effective. Many similar projects that use technology to monitor and combat are being started around the country, as in Virginia Beach, Manatee County Florida, and Horsey, Pennsylvania.
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Date: 2005-03-01
Language: en
Type: article
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