Stuck in Traffic: Coping with Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion [Hardcover]

Anthony Downs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1992 | ISBN-10: 0815719248 | ISBN-13: 978-0815719243

Peak-hour traffic congestion has become a major problem in most US cities. In fact, a majority of residents in metropolitan and suburban areas consider congestion their most serious local problem. As citizens have become increasingly frustrated by repeated traffic delays that cost them money and waste time, congestion has become an important factor affecting local government policies in many parts of the nation. In this book, Anthony Downs looks at the causes of worsening traffic congestion, especially in suburban areas, and considers the possible remedies. He analyzes the specific advantages and disadvantages of every major strategy that has been proposed to reduce congestion. In nontechnical language, he focuses on two central issues: the relationships between land-use and traffic flow in rapidly growing areas, and whether local policies can effectively reduce congestion or if more regional approaches are necessary. In rapidly growing parts of the country, congestion is worse than it was 5 or 10 years ago. But Downs notes that the problem has apparently not yet become bad enough to stimulate effective responses. Neither government officials nor citizens seem willing to consider changing the behaviour and public policies that cause congestion. To alleviate the problem, he argues, both groups must be prepared to make these fundamental changes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815719248
• ISBN-13: 978-0815719243
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,441,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Downs Explains How Hard it is to Reduce Traffic Congestion, June 30, 2000

By 

James H. Mars (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stuck inTraffic (Paperback)

I have used Anthony Downs, "Stuck in Traffic" for three years for a short course in urban transportation planning. Students find it clear and yet realistic on how simplistic solutions like "building more highway lanes" have unintended consequences that cancel out the gains.

He also looks at urban planning solutions, and shows that some gains might occur from increasing housing densities from very low to low or moderate, but most other solutions have little effect.

Finally, the most powerful solutions, including higher gasoline taxes, increased public funding for transit, and tolling on highways are also the least palatable politically.

Downs, an economist, is strong on the economic aspects of transportation, and has a good grasp on the planning issues. The book does not cover any of the engineering details of possible schemes.

Overall, an clearly written and strongly argued book.

Jim Mars School of Urban and Regional Planning Ryerson Polytechnic University Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars puncturing illusions, November 21, 2002

By 

Michael Lewyn (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stuck inTraffic (Paperback)

This book rebuts both environmentalists and road lobbyists, by explaining why neither expanded transit nor expanded roads will have significant impacts upon congestion: expanded transit is of minimal value because it affects so few people (except perhaps in downtowns), expanded roads don't work because of what Downs calls "triple convergence" -- when a road is built it fills up because (1) drivers who used alternative routes switch to the new or widened road, (2) drivers who avoided rush hour start traveling during rush hour, and (3) drivers who used public transit switch to the improved expressway. (And triple convergence doesn't even take into account the long-run congestion that results when people move to be near a widened or new expressway, thus causing additional ridership increases). The only solution is to reduce demand for transportation, by encouraging ride sharing through tolls, fuel tax increases and other unpopular steps. In short, the most effective ways of reducing congestion are also the least politically popular.