Promoting design and rewarding behavior that more equitably allocates road space will make our cities greater places.Everyone hates sitting in traffic.
Of course, congestion at peak commute times is to be expected. It’s admittedly very difficult to move millions of people within a very short window of time with limited road space. In most places road-widening to reduce congestion isn’t possible. But even if it were, we shouldn’t be so quick to add lanes. Studies upon studies upon studies show those added lanes fill up quickly and the immediate improvement in travel time is lost.
So now we have a problem. As cities grow, more people need to commute. But roads can’t, or shouldn’t, grow. How do we get all those people to where they need to go with the same road space we have today?
We more fairly and efficiently allocate our road space. To people.
No one intends to eliminate car travel and open the streets only to pedestrians. That would be a long, slow commute for many of us. Instead, we need to look at how well different modes of transportation move people. This is our new measure of efficiency.
Whatever mode moves the highest volume of people (and goods) per square foot of road space should be allocated the largest proportion of that total space. Why? Because we should favor efficiency over inefficiency. People who drive alone to work take up a lot of space, imposing congestion on others. Those who take the bus take up way less space per person, reducing congestion. If we want less congestion, we need to change how our road space is allocated.
Per person travel-space requirements, according to the Victoria Transport Policy Institute:
Protected bike lanes are part of this reallocation as well. We might even be able to widen sidewalks by removing on-street parking that becomes unnecessary as more people give up driving. In short, we need to create complete streets that work for everyone.The private car is by far the least efficient way to move a human being. Instead of letting buses (and their many passengers) languish in congestion created by cars (typically with only one person), let’s take a car lane and turn it into a restricted travel lane only for buses and streetcars. Those who are moving most efficiently will be rewarded. Transit will become quicker, easier, and less stressful.
But if you must drive your car, feel free. It might just be a slower trip for you, space hog.
These ideas come from an outstanding book called The Happy City by Charles Montgomery. If you have any interest in urban design, transportation, or happiness, you should read it.
Photo by Carlton Reid.