Good Times Are Back and So Is the Traffic Crunch

We expected the annual back-to-school surge of traffic in September, but this year seemed worse. Congestion was heavier on our daily routes, began earlier and lasted longer. It was exasperating, and visceral proof that more Americans than ever depend on their cars in almost every facet of their daily lives.

You might have thought the 1980s was the decade when gridlock-weary Americans began to increase their use of subways, light rail, car pools and other transit alternatives, that we were moving toward an urban lifestyle in which we could sit and read our morning paper while others took the wheel. Not so.

Federal statistics show that Americans acquired personal cars and trucks at a rate that exceeded population and employment growth in the 1980s. The trend has continued into the ‘90s, though at a slower rate. Meanwhile, a larger proportion of American motorists elected to drive solo. Here’s why.

Just 20% of those jockeying for space on the roadways during rush hours are traveling directly to or from work. Most are on a longer and more convoluted “chain trip,” something like this: from home to day care and/or regular school and an errand and then work. At day’s end, the route runs from the office to school and then to the children’s extracurricular activities, more errands and then home. The ‘80s did not necessitate mass transit but rather required the freedom and flexibility of driving one’s own vehicle, which in turn worked against the advance of car pools.

Quality-of-life decisions added another factor. Takeout food saved the time it took to cook. Dry cleaners cleaned the clothes and threatened the ironing board. More Americans could hire a nanny, a gardener, a wardrobe organizer, a house cleaner, even a dog walker. All of this put even more people behind the wheel going to and from new jobs, often during peak hours.

So why wasn’t this increase in vehicle use noted much earlier? First, says UCLA urban planning professor Brian Taylor, doubling the number of vehicles on a freeway does not result in twice as much congestion so long as the freeway has not reached capacity. But once the road is at capacity, just a few more vehicles can create a jam.

In Southern California, we move closer to freeway capacity day by day. The recession and the collapse of the defense/aerospace industry here did more than eliminate, reduce and export jobs; it also took cars off the roads. Now, the economic revival has resulted in more drivers, headed to new jobs, and more commerce-related driving. Furthermore, the new jobs are more widely dispersed, creating evolving and confusing traffic patterns.

The increased congestion and some dire predictions by the Southern California Assn. of Governments have given new life to the idea of high-occupancy vehicle freeway lanes that can also be used by solo drivers--for a price. The fees could be used to improve other forms of mass transit, like dedicated bus lanes. Meanwhile, smaller shuttle vehicles could provide flexibility for riders. More efficient use of fixed-rail routes holds promise in the context of self-sufficient communities. Bring more business and residential development to the rail hubs and subway stops and ridership is likely to grow.

Finally, when more communities are self-sufficient, able to provide social, cultural and commercial options within minutes of home, work or both, congestion should ease. Picture it: Establish a community with a pharmacy, grocer, dry cleaner, restaurants, bookstores, theater, schools and coffee shops in a neighborhood-size space and folks will come, on foot, gladly leaving their cars at home. Foot traffic we can stand.