Analysis: Which solutions match the criteria?
Solution 1 - Complete Streets: Meets all 3 criteria
Solution 2 - Smart Development : Meets all 3 criteria
- Cost Efficient: When planned along with road resurfacing, road diets have very little cost. Larger improvements, such as adding multi-use trails or landscaping, have a moderate cost. Either way, the cost is significantly less than road widening.
- Easy to Promote & Execute: It is relatively easy to gain public support because it improves safety and quality of life. Not much construction is required.
- Eco-Friendly: More people will walk, bike, and use transit, which would reduce air and noise pollution.
Solution 2 - Smart Development : Meets all 3 criteria
- Cost Efficient: Compact, diverse communities cost money upfront, like any neighborhood. The difference is that, because they have diverse land use (residential, commercial, public/recreation, etc. ), they are more successful, economically and socially.
- Easy to Promote & Execute: Using communities like Hampton Park and Baldwin Park in Orlando as examples, projects to improve neighborhoods, that include housing for all incomes, would be supported by the public.
- Eco-Friendly: Because they encourage the use of alternatives to driving, this type of development would reduce air & noise pollution
- Cost Efficient: The cost of promotion and education, would be offset by the increase in revenue from taxes.
- Easy to Promote & Execute: Although promoting awareness wouldn't be difficult, gaining support for an increase in taxes would be difficult; People don't like paying more money.
- Eco-Friendly: Again, increasing the use of walking, bicycling, and transit instead of driving would decrease air & noise pollution.
Conclusion
When having to choose only one of the three possibilities, solution 1 is the best solution for the issue of widening roads; It provides a direct alternative to the problem. Instead of widening roads, which just causes induced demand, we should reduce the size of the roads to make it more people-oriented and encourage alternatives to driving.
* For the most effective, long-term way to reduce road congestion is a combination of all three solutions. Instead of increasing sprawl, we should build neighborhoods that are more compact and diverse to reduce car dependency and increase the quality of life and sense of community. Within those communities should be 'complete streets'- streets built with everyone in mind, not just cars. They would make it more safe for people to walk or ride bikes and make transit more accessible. To further encourage these transportation modes, people should be better educated and aware of the effects of driving. Things like congestion pricing of tolls and adding cost for parking will help reduce the demand during peak hours (like rush hour). All of these elements combined would reduce traffic congestion, decrease the use of vehicles, and create economically and socially booming communities, as well as a healthier public.
* For the most effective, long-term way to reduce road congestion is a combination of all three solutions. Instead of increasing sprawl, we should build neighborhoods that are more compact and diverse to reduce car dependency and increase the quality of life and sense of community. Within those communities should be 'complete streets'- streets built with everyone in mind, not just cars. They would make it more safe for people to walk or ride bikes and make transit more accessible. To further encourage these transportation modes, people should be better educated and aware of the effects of driving. Things like congestion pricing of tolls and adding cost for parking will help reduce the demand during peak hours (like rush hour). All of these elements combined would reduce traffic congestion, decrease the use of vehicles, and create economically and socially booming communities, as well as a healthier public.