#induced demand

Excerpt from this story from Grist:

When President Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Package into law last November, many saw it as an opportunity to combat climate change.

The bill could slash emissions from transportation, which is responsible for 27 percent of all U.S. climate pollution. With some $600 billion in new funding for the sector, the Biden administration encouraged state leaders to build out public transit systems and expand “non-motorized” transportation infrastructure, like bike lanes. One analysis from the Georgetown Climate Center estimated that these actions could reduce transportation emissions by 14 million tons per year by 2032 — about as much as the annual emissions from 4.5 million passenger vehicles.

According to a new report from the nonprofit U.S. Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG, state and local governments are at risk of squandering federal funds to build or expand major highway systems. These “boondoggles,” as the report calls them, would harm local communities and exacerbate climate change, all while failing to solve the traffic and safety problems they claim to address.

However, some policymakers are flouting that advice.

“Highway expansion harms our health and the environment, doesn’t solve congestion, and creates a lasting financial burden,” the report says. Although nearly every state has one or more highway expansion projects in the works, the authors highlight seven that would lock in polluting infrastructure and divert a whopping $22 billion away from other transportation needs.

“Building and expanding more highways is not the solution to congestion, it actually encourages even more vehicles to be out there,” she said. “The more you build, the more they come — and the more congestion there is in a never-ending cycle.”

That cycle is a well-documented phenomenon known as “induced demand,” in which bigger highways catalyze a series of societal decisions that bring congestion back to pre-expansion levels — or worse. For example, more homes and businesses may crop up along a bigger travel corridor, creating new destinations that are only accessible by car. Bigger highways can influence people to use their vehicles instead of public transit, leave later for work, or move farther away from the city center.

Thought Congestion

Another collaboration with Becky Hawkins! (frenchtoastcomix) This one was written by me, and drawn by Becky. If you enjoy these cartoons, please reblog or support them on my Patreon . A $1 pledge really helps!

To read my notes about the cartoon, check out the original patreon post!

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