[alexwhb]

Really interesting read. I’ve had this exact thought but not in a well defined sentence before. Especially regarding entities like turboTax or DoT (Departments of Transportation) where they will expand highways even though it’s a well known empirical fact that this typically causes induced demand or more traffic.

It’s really nice to have such a well defined principle to this idea.

[Valid3840]

Exactly what I had in mind. In the case of the DoT, I wonder what could be the solution there, some exterior safeguard? reducing fundings?

[alexwhb]

Ya honestly that’s a great question. I think more public awareness would be helpful and pressure on state representatives. But honestly you see where it can go badly wrong in Austin TX. A majority (as far as I’m aware) are against the DoT highway expansion and have proposed alternative plans for light rail… but the DoT has over ridden this majority and gone ahead with the highway expansion anyway.

Maybe if the engineers that work on these projects are skilled in planning rail projects too… there’d be less myopic focus on roads. Just a thought.

[thegrim33]

I don't understand how people perpetuate that induced demand stuff. It absolutely falls apart if you think about it at all. So we shouldn't expand highways because it "induces demand/traffic"? So all of our cities and states should have kept their original one lane dirt roads and never improved on them, because expanding the dirt lanes would have induced demand and caused more traffic? Our transportation system would have been better / more effective with a couple of dirt roads and never expanding? It doesn't even remotely make sense.

[alexwhb]

I think the argument of induced demand is not so much we should never build or expand road infrastructure, that’s obviously asinine, but rather we should consider alternative transportation investments. Rail, dedicated bus lanes etc all increase rider density dramatically over cars. Induced demand will happen regardless of the mode of transport, but cars allow for an extremely low ridership density per lane. That’s really the point being made.

And if you look at the economics of road infrastructure it’s far inferior to other modes when you look at raw cost per person who can and will use it.

Lastly from an environmental, and safety perspective there are several other modes of transport that are far superior