Public Transit as a Response to Congestion

Americans own more than 240 million cars—that’s almost one for every person—leading to multi-hour commutes, sprawling exurbs, and high gas prices. Traffic congestion occurs when a volume of traffic generates demand for space greater than the available road capacity. About half of U.S. traffic congestion is recurring, and is attributed to sheer weight of traffic; most of the rest is attributed to traffic incidents, road works and weather events.

In many American cities, the population density is too low to support subways. Light-rail transit systems— trolley-like cars with street-level service—on the other hand, are often economically feasible in areas that lack the density to support subways. Still, the cost of laying track remains beyond the reach of many municipalities.

Light rail transit (LRT) critics and opponents consistently try to pose “reduction” of roadway traffic as a basic measuring stick for the “success” of LRT –a measure it will inevitably fail to meet. in reality, by raising (unachievable) expectations of significant roadway congestion reduction from LRT and other major transit projects, transit and LRT opponents exploit a common fallacy and misconception: That any single transportation facility, roadway or transit, can ever truly “reduce” congestion. It is almost universally recognized, even among highway planners, and throughout the transportation planning profession, that roadway traffic congestion is a fundamental fact of life – basically, it continues to grow with population expansion and the proliferation of motor vehicles. Acceptance of some degree of congestion is actually incorporated into the basic design of urban roadways.

Examples of Traffic Decongestion through Public Transit

Los Angeles, CA

The Metro Orange Line connects the residents and employment centers of San Fernando Valley with the end point of Los Angeles’ main subway in North Hollywood. This bus rapid transit (BRT) line has proven to be a huge success and relieves traffic congestion on Highway 101, one of the most congested highways in the nation. A January 2006 survey showed that 85 percent of riders save time by leaving their car at home and using the Orange Line every day. Transit-oriented development is beginning to sprout up at several stations along the BRT line. The success of the Orange Line in one of the United States’ most car-focused cities illustrates the ability of BRT to fill the gap between urban and suburban transportation options.

Connecticut

To help connect transportation needs of businesses and workers, the Connecticut Department of Transportation created the Easy Street. The program is a statewide commuter van service operated by The Rideshare Company, which offers more than 300 routes transporting 3,000 riders daily. The program gives passengers the flexibility to design their own routes to work and pick-up schedules. Communities enjoy the benefits of less congestion and less pollution from automobile exhaust.

Manassas/Prince William County, VA

The sprawling suburbs surrounding our nation’s capitol present a challenge to developing public transportation that works. But local authorities in Prince William County, Virginia devised a clever solution: flexible bus routes that can drive off-route to pick up passengers a short distance away from the main line. Modern global positioning system (GPS) technology keeps bus drivers from getting lost, and helps manager’s track bus locations. Now, more than half of riders choose the system to get to work.

Maplewood, NJ

To cut congestion during peak commute times, NJ TRANSIT’s Community Shuttle Program uses 20-passenger minibuses to pick up 50,000 monthly commuters in 20 municipalities, including Maplewood, within a few blocks of their homes. The shuttle buses bring the passengers to NJ TRANSIT commuter trains or buses that deliver them to New York City ís central business district. NJ TRANSIT’s Community Shuttle Program uses federal funds to purchase the minibuses. The agency then offers no-cost leases to municipalities that provide the shuttle service. During the first three years of operation, the agency also offers seed money to fund part of the shuttle service’s operating costs.

Curitiba, Brazil

A solution has emerged in Curitiba, Brazil, which over the past 50 years has quietly evolved into a living laboratory of urban design. Since 1960, Curitiba’s population has quadrupled, to 1.8 million, straining the city’s infrastructure and transportation systems. Rather than building a new network from scratch, Curitiba’s planners created an efficient bus network with red-light-free lanes on the city’s highways and boulevards. Instead of using traditional bus stops, passengers pay at stations, significantly lowering the time it takes to board. The revolutionary new system has been dubbed Bus Rapid Transit. Over the last 10 years, Curitiba’s BRT system has been replicated around the world, in cities like Brisbane, Australia; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Bogota, Columbia

Often cities introduce less elaborate BRT systems, simply increasing the efficiency of existing bus routes, but the BRT system in Bogotá, Colombia, known as the TransMilenio, demonstrates what can be done when Curitiba’s model is expanded to new levels. The 40-mile system of dedicated bus lanes serves about one million people a day, and cost a mere $240 million, just seven percent of the Athens subway extension. Bogotá’s BRT system has created a new model for urban revitalization, transforming the city by redefining how streets are used. As traffic lanes were appropriated for the BRT, the number of cars in the city fell. Squares once crowded with traffic are now vibrant with street life; sidewalks once covered with parked cars are now open for playing kids.