The thing that Chris Zimmerman does not understand from his observations about traffic is that although cars are sitting in traffic in one general area, they are not all going to one destination. That is where public transportation fails. It can not replace enough of the trips that drivers need to take.

Besides, creating more lanes adds more cars to the road, but that means more people are out doing things, spending money, adding tax revenue, getting the economy moving. How is that not a plus?

I know it is hard for someone who hates cars as much as Chris to admit that more cars means more progress, but it is simply the truth. We need to induce more activity to get the economy moving again.

by Petunia on Nov 8, 2011 8:58 am  

People aren't necessarily spending more tax money - they are more likely shopping farther from their home. having a wider range of stores to shop at is probably a benefit (though given the economics of retail with high fixed costs, its not necessarily obvious how to evaluate the net cost benefit to society)

Induced traffic does not necessarily represent zero gain, but its not the kind of gain you get if you assume no induced traffic and simply faster speeds from additional lanes.

by AWalkerInTheCity on Nov 8, 2011 9:12 am  

@Petunia

Adding capacity might induce some activity (if there is demand for it). But you can add travel capacity without adding lanes. Adding transit offers more bang for your buck, since it allows for denser development.

Arlington residents actually make more trips than their VA counterparts, but they do so via walking, biking, and transit - they generate that economic activity you speak of without imposing the costs of congestion.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/commuting/arlington-shapes-residents-travel-habits/2011/08/11/gIQABpuMBJ_story.html

Arlington residents make more total trips per day than the regional average – 3.9 versus 3.5 — but they travel fewer miles per day than the regional average, because their trips are shorter: 15.8 miles versus 25.6 miles. They also travel fewer miles in vehicles than the regional average, because they are more likely to use transit or walk.

In short, this is all about land use, and denser development requires good transit infrastructure (lest you end up with more Tysons Corners).

Besides, the reason we often widen roads is not to induce economic activity, but to relieve congestion - and that doesn't work.

by Alex B. on Nov 8, 2011 9:12 am  

I'm riding my bike to the polls.

by TGEOA on Nov 8, 2011 9:17 am  

A 15.6 vs 25.6 doesn't sound like walking or biking. It sounds like you just can drive a shorter distance.

Never ceases to amaze me that when I visit my parents, a drive to the grocery store is longer than my weekly driving mileage in Arlinton.

In terms of the Senate district, two very weak candidates. Favola is a disaster -- being promoted to the senate to stop doing damage in Arlington. Merrick was just plain lazy. The only thing motivating me is keeping Gov. Bob from getting his girlfriend a senate seat.

by charlie on Nov 8, 2011 9:53 am  

It's the 31st Senate District (not the "13th") that extends from Arlington to Loudoun.

by Paulus on Nov 8, 2011 10:00 am  

although cars are sitting in traffic in one general area, they are not all going to one destination. That is where public transportation fails.

Actually, the failure here is one of land use. With proper land use planning, everyone WILL be heading to destinations in one dense, walkable/bike-able area. However, it's a chicken-egg problem where it's hard to get the density without mass transit but without the density, transit doesn't make sense.

Arlington has done a pretty good job of tackling this chicken-egg problem as evidenced by increased density in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor but LOWER traffic congestion over the last 20 years.

by Falls Church on Nov 8, 2011 10:22 am  

Charlie, that's total miles per day - divided over several trips.

Arlington: 15.8 miles per day, 3.9 trips per day - that's about 4 miles per trip.

Region: 25.6/3.5 - about 7.3 miles per trip.

Of course, that could easily be two 7 mile metro commutes and two short, less than a mile walks. That difference is significant. When the land use allows for shorter trips that actually can be done by foot or by bike or by transit, people will do it. Not really a shocking conclusion.

by Alex B. on Nov 8, 2011 10:30 am  

I think arlington handled that by putting the transit there first and betting the farm on the density/benefits. That it paid off should show one a pretty clear example of which investment to make first. Its at least better plan than what we are seeing in Tysons where the density (albeit badly planned and not all that dense comparitively) came before the transit.

by Canaan on Nov 8, 2011 10:33 am  

@AlexB; I'm sure that data actually get you there.

What you see in Arlington is a large portion of peope on Wison who use Metrorail. Also, to some degree Crystal City.

outside those corridors, you're still driving a lot. Just not as much as other people in the area. I wouldn't say Lee Highway is very walkable. Or most of Columbia Pike.

And that's not a bad thing.

by charlie on Nov 8, 2011 10:38 am  

Of course that number is limited, since it's a county-wide average which includes some very different transportation conditions.

The rest of that article notes that while overall car ownership in Arlington is the same as the region, those cars are used less (# of trips) and driven shorter distances. All of those are significant differences. To CZ's original point about induced demand, the options at an Arlingtonian's disposal make it possible to grow the area without actually increasing traffic.

by Alex B. on Nov 8, 2011 11:14 am  

I see Bill Orleans at COG meetings, and I dare say, he probably is paying closer attention and is more informed on the issues than some of the voting members of the council. Good luck to him in his race for City Council.

by Will on Nov 8, 2011 11:20 am  

The story about Bill Orleans, a homeless man running for Council in Greenbelt brings to mind the story of Honest Mike Kirwan. Kirwan was unemployed in 1936, when he ran for Congress against a 10-term Republican incumbent in Youngstown, Ohio. He openly stated that he was running for Congress because he needed a job to support himself and feed his family, and promised to do his best. His admission got him the nickname Honest Mike, and he won, swept into office in the 1936 Roosevelt landslide. He was re-elected 16 times, serving until his death in 1970.

Mike Kirwan became a powerful Committee Chairman on Capitol Hill, and yet neither he nor his family ever forgot where they came from. The Kirwans were always supportive and active in the Catholic Worker movement and the so-called Houses of Hospitality that provided food and shelter for the homeless in a dignified manner.

by Mike S. on Nov 8, 2011 11:23 am  

Dutch kids get drivers'/cyclists'/peds' ed

Virtually all kids in primary school get a 'biking exam' somewhere when they're 10-12. It's a near national event on which kids have to bike a certain route on the (open) streets and parents monitor their behavior at certain points.

by Jasper on Nov 8, 2011 12:04 pm  

I always find the term "induced demand" a little misleading because the demand is for housing with access to the core. That demand for housing isn't induced by roads.

by MW on Nov 8, 2011 1:47 pm  

One of Congressman Kirwan's pet projects was to try to fund the building of a canal connecting Lake Erie to the Ohio River, going thru his district. Unfortunately this dream was never fulfilled. I doubt there is any member of Congress today, of either party, with the guts to propose anything similar.

by rextrex on Nov 9, 2011 4:27 pm