#LOS ANGELES TRAFFIC DRIVERS#

They include assigning higher tolls for driving during peak hours or collecting higher fees for parking in the most convenient curb spaces at the busiest times.

#LOS ANGELES TRAFFIC DRIVERS#

Often called congestion pricing, these strategies involve charging drivers more for their use of roadways when travel demand is highest.

Many strategies provide short-term relief, but only pricing strategies resist triple convergence and manage congestion in the long run. Triple convergence explains, for example, why traffic flow improves for a short time when new lanes are added to a freeway but then returns to being congested within just a few years.

This pattern, often described as triple convergence, slowly erodes the initial congestion-reduction benefits offered by most strategies. Some will shift from other times of travel, some from other routes of travel, and some from other modes of travel (such as subways or commuter rail). When a congestion-reduction strategy is implemented and traffic delays are reduced, travelers who had previously altered their travel patterns to avoid congestion will notice the improvement and return to driving along the once-busiest routes during the peak hours. Therefore, the most realistic way to reduce congestion is to find ways to manage the demand for driving during the peak hours.įew congestion-reduction strategies remain effective over time. In other cities, higher population density tends to result in lower per capita demand for roadways, but in Los Angeles, the per capita demand for roadways remains high despite high population density. residents drive more miles per person-thus demanding more roadway-than would be expected based on the region's overall population density. Managing the demand for roadways during peak hours offers the greatest prospects for reducing congestion. In addition, many local communities oppose the construction of new or expanded roads in their neighborhoods, for social, health, or environmental reasons, and this further limits the possibility of adding new roads. Even if more funding were available, however, the road network in Los Angeles is already by far the most extensive in the nation, and there is very little space to add more road capacity in the areas where congestion is most intense. Failure to increase state and federal fuel taxes to keep pace with inflation and improved fuel economy over the past several decades has led to significant shortfalls in available transportation revenue. The prospects for building the way out of congestion are limited. Therefore, reducing congestion means either increasing the supply of road space or reducing the demand for peak-hour automotive travel. Several Factors Shape the Region's Transportation Policy NeedsĬongestion results from an imbalance in the supply of and demand for road space. Here, they provide a set of 13 recommendations that, if implemented together, could reduce congestion substantially. The researchers identified several key factors that influence the kinds of solutions most likely to benefit Los Angeles. The authors reviewed the research literature related to congestion, examined existing data, and spoke with agency staff and elected officials in L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Music Center of Los Angeles, and the RAND Corporation.

County, was sponsored by a small consortium of public and private local donors that share an interest in reducing traffic congestion through improved transportation policy.

The study, which focused on the denser urban areas within L.A. To answer this question, RAND Corporation researchers conducted a study to identify strategies to reduce traffic congestion that could be implemented and produce significant effects within five years. Congestion has recently eased somewhat with rising fuel prices, but long-term trends indicate that it will continue to get worse unless policymakers take steps to intervene. traffic congestion is the worst in the nation, according to many studies, and it takes its toll on quality of life, economic competitiveness, fuel economy, driving safety, social justice, and air quality. Given limited prospects for building more roadways, pricing policies must be among them to create lasting traffic reduction. The researchers provide a set of 13 complementary recommendations that, if implemented together, could reduce congestion substantially within the next five years. County, RAND researchers analyzed the problem and identified the key factors that determine the area's transportation policy needs. Traffic congestion in Los Angeles is arguably the worst in the nation.

Los angeles traffic