Research

Forget Curbing Suburban Sprawl

To be sure, the consensus-oriented TRB process would never lead to stating a result in such stark terms. But after all the qualifications are presented, the committee’s "moderate" scenario (which postulates 25% of all new and replacement housing being built at twice today’s densities and that residents of said housing will drive 12% less), leads to reductions in fuel use and GHGs of just 1% from the business-as-usual case by 2030, and 1.3 to 1.7% less by 2050. In engineering, that’s what we would call a rounding error.

Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation Roadway Safety Study

More than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions – a substantially more lethal factor than drunk driving, speeding or non-use of safety belts, according to a June 2009 landmark study, “On A Crash Course: The Dangers & Health Costs of Deficient Roadways,” from the Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation. Ten roadway-related crashes occur every minute (5.3 million a year) and also contribute to 38 percent of non-fatal injuries. The annual cost to America is $217 billion.

Texas Transportation Institute’s “Urban Mobility Report”

A July 2009 study from the Texas Transportation Institute (link) finds that traffic congestion is getting worse in more than 435 cities across America, and is costing the economy $87 billion annually in lost time and wasted fuel. The ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation (link) is a co-sponsor of the annual “Urban Mobility Report.”