1. Traffic: Why It's Getting Worse, What Government Can Do
- Author:
- Anthony Downs
- Publication Date:
- 01-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Rising traffic congestion is an inescapable condition in large and growing metropolitan areas across the world, from Los Angeles to Tokyo, from Cairo to Sao Paolo. Peak-hour traffic congestion is an inherent result of the way modern societies operate. It stems from the widespread desires of people to pursue certain goals that inevitably overload existing roads and transit systems every day. But everyone hates traffic congestion, and it keeps getting worse, in spite of attempted remedies. Commuters are often frustrated by policymakers' inability to do anything about the problem, which poses a significant public policy challenge. Although governments may never be able to eliminate road congestion, there are several ways cities and states can move to curb it.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Tokyo and Los Angeles