The city of Amarillo, Texas, is gathering data on traffic congestion. Over the past three years, workers have added lanes to many roads, increasing the capacity of the roads by 20%. Despite this increase in capacity, commute times in Amarillo have only decreased by 2%. What would explain these results?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Induced traffic refers to the phenomenon where increasing road capacity leads to more traffic because it encourages more people to drive, which can negate the intended effects of reducing congestion. This explains why, despite the increase in road capacity in Amarillo, commute times have only slightly decreased.

The City of Amarillo, Texas, Is Gathering Data on Traffic