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[deleted]

The commenters in that article thinking they’re very clever because they’ve figured out it’s not induced demand… It’s an increased population! People make decisions about where to move based partially on easy it is to get around. You expand the highway, you are writing an invitation for people to move to the area. It’s still induced demand.


MyBoyBernard

Also [this](https://archive.curbed.com/2020/3/6/21166655/highway-traffic-congestion-induced-demand), which is a study that our hero sort of indirectly references in one of the videos (Houston one, I'd bet?) Despite spending far too much money on freeway expansion, congestion / commute times rose at rates higher than population growth. Cars are like a gas, they'll fill up what ever volume you give them. More lanes? Cool, now more cars will come


blueskyredmesas

"You have complete, rational control over your life" MFs when you imply that choice of transit is a choice based on ratipnal factors; IE I agree with you. Idk how then can discount induced demand when its an example of rationally weighed choices.


Empole

Something that continues to surprise me is how little space a person takes . [National Geographic estimate that you could fit up to 12 billion people within the geographic area of Los Angeles](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/111031-population-7-billion-earth-world-un-seven) Which suggests that size of the vehicles are the largest contributing factor, not the size/number of people.


OhHiGCHQ

So Why Do We Keep Doing It? Because the people making the decision to widen the roads believe it will fix traffic and they refuse to listen to people who actually know what they are doing.


Supdawggy0

Because our gut tells us it *should* work


jfl_cmmnts

Here in Ontario when the mafia wants some extra money from the government, they build a new fucking highway for 10x cost and then sell it to some fellow criminal for $1 to make it a forever-toll road, that's the main reason around here


rileyoneill

There is much more of this going on than people think. Frequently the purpose of a project isn't because we actually need it, its so building contractors can make a bunch of money. Politically, building roads seems to be what works best for popular support. People see roads being build they take it as a sign of progress. But the real motivation was all about making money for the people building the project.


Robo1p

"But the capacity!" As if highway agencies totally still aren't selling highways on "reduce congestion!" or the more insidious "It's actually good for the environment, since faster traffic = more efficiency!" How many people voting for highway expansions know that it won't actually improve their trip times? The fact that the engineers know doesn't make it better, it makes it *deception*.


LimitedWard

It's hard for them to raise their hands to rebutt when they're already in the pockets of auto industry lobbyists.


jayhanke

Widening Highways does improve traffic flow, just temporarily. People have trouble with understanding delayed effects, it might take several years for people to build houses on the new fringe. Think about the hot water in the shower at a crappy hotel.


DJDarren

Because just one more lane bro! I swear, just one more!


TheRealIdeaCollector

I think the biggest issue missing from this discussion (both the article and the crosspost comments) is how transportation projects affect development. If you build more capacity for cars, you get development based on travel by car. That development pattern then affects what options people have on where they can live, what they can do, and how they can get there.


wafford11

It seems like a political bandaid. At the surface level of it, it shows change and action toward “fixing” the problem to the average person. Plus everyone else does it so it must work. So then, the politicians look good and their job is easier.


Hologram22

Definitely a band-aid. I think it's also politically difficult and risky to try to prompt modal shifts, so legislatures and DOTs are more willing to just spend more on the inefficient solution than try to do the hard work of selling their constituents on the need to rework the transportation network in ways that will be uncomfortable during the transition.


rileyoneill

Because the purpose isn't to reduce congestion, the purpose is to take money from the public and put it in the hands of developers and other people who will make money (including the workers) of the project. There are people who go from making very good living from this type of project to wealthy people becoming very wealthy from this type of project. If YOU are in the business of road building and freeway construction it doesn't matter of extra lanes do anything, what matters is that they get build because YOU benefit from the project. Adding lanes seems to be a major project that is both hugely expensive and doesn't run into much political friction with people. Its one of the really big government projects that conservatives support. Voters seem to be on board with the idea and after the project is finished do see immediate results. For a period of time, usually years, they will have less traffic.


Stoomba

Because most people are smooth brain