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January 22, 2007
Untangling gridlock
Sam and I had a piece in Friday’s LA Times:
- Everyone in Los Angeles knows we can't do anything about traffic congestion. We complain about it, but gridlock just keeps getting worse. Each year, the typical rush-hour traveler wastes 93 hours — more than two workweeks — stuck in traffic. Under current plans, congestion will drive up travel delays by another 11% over the next 25 years, ensuring that L.A. remains the congestion capital of the nation.
Even our regional planners resign themselves to ever-worsening congestion. The passage of Proposition 1B, which allows the state to sell $19.9 billion in bonds for transportation, still doesn't generate enough money to pay for all the improvements we need. We're restrained by technical problems, and we don't have space for new lanes.
Yet other cities of the world have faced the same challenges without surrendering to congestion.
Whole thing here.
Yesterday our book got a mention in this Detroit Free Press column.
Posted by tedb at January 22, 2007 09:41 AM
$19.9 billion for transportation would have some effect on congestion, were it to be spent on road expansion. Instead LA will be spending most of it on worthless light rail projects and other transportation boondoggles that suck up huge amounts of money but do nothing to actually solve congestion. Of course, that's the point: as long as the government doesn't solve a problem, it can keep asking for more and more money. "This time for sure", they'll say.
Comment by: Bob Smith at January 22, 2007 08:01 PM
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