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In what way is rationing transportation a valid way to solve congestion problems? Here in the Seattle area they're converting lanes on already heavily congeste
by lkfewnf 11y ago
In what way is rationing transportation a valid way to solve congestion problems?
Here in the Seattle area they're converting lanes on already heavily congested roads like I-405 into toll lanes with a maximum fee of over ten dollars a trip, effectively reducing it from three lanes each way to two lanes each way. Traffic has only become more congested since then.
- jsprogrammer 11y agoWhat about the traffic in the toll lanes? Surely the traffic is much better there. In Southern California, a similar thing happened to CA-91. Immediately after construction, traffic in the toll lanes moved at the speed limit or faster, while traffic in the non-toll lanes appears stopped during the heaviest commute periods. It seems like requiring an economic solution almost guarantees congestion problems (and is perhaps, arguably, the point -- to extract a toll (ie. easy profit) from a carefully designed scarcity). Why not try solutions that directly address the causes of the congestion (lots of vehicles trying to move through the same small area at the same time)?