Study Shows American Roads Are Getting More Congested
Are you dreading Labor Day traffic this weekend? In the future, congestion on our roads could be just as bad, all the time.
Labor Day is widely considered to be America’s busiest holiday for auto travel with traffic volumes increasing 140 to 160 percent above the average. But the U.S. Travel Association believes that within the next couple of decades, some areas will experience daily traffic congestion similar to Labor Day, throughout the year.
Overall, traffic volume has been outpacing states’ abilities to expand their highways and freeways to help accommodate that growth.
But then again, perhaps self-driving cars will be common within a couple of decades, and vehicles will be able to pace themselves and traffic will become a thing of the past. Wishful thinking?
[Source: The Car Connection]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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I have a solution: Promote short and space-efficient cars in the same way as BEV's... with a $7,500 tax credit. The shortest length vehicles on the market; including smart fortwo, FIAT 500, MINI Cooper S, Jeep Wrangler, Miata, Honda Fit, etc. (Scion iQ doesn't count because of the "piece of shit" clause) What do all cars do every life cycle? They grow longer. What must we do to combat it?
In the future??? Really?? It's here now. Live under a rock? Smartacus- Better idea.... Stop letting stupid people behind the wheel, period. 80+%* of traffic is caused by morons that don't know how to merge or are just plain stupid to drive at all. Transporters and vehicle mounted disintegrating rays can't get here soon enough. * A rough guesstimate of having lived in LA areas, Seattle areas, and Detroit metro areas in my lifetime. Also, I will be the Chairman of the committee that decides who drives and who doesn't. :)