A vision for the future, from LA
The I-405 is one of Los Angeles biggest and busiest freeways and just a few years ago underwent a US$1 billion widening project. But as the saying goes, what you feed grows and a few days ago that was highlighted in nightmarish fashion as tens of thousands tried to get away for Thanksgiving.…
37 Comments Congestion in large Australasian cities
Is Auckland abnormally congested?
I occasionally hear people bemoaning that Auckland is one of the most congested cities in the world, or at least one of the most congested cities for its size.
I’ve previously taken a look at this from a few angles – looking at trends in traffic delay in Auckland and average commuting time in large cities around the world.…
What are the preconditions for congestion pricing in Auckland?
The inclusion of congestion pricing in the recent Auckland Transport Alignment Project interim report has (helpfully) reignited the public debate on the topic. Transportblog’s authors have been pretty enthusiastic about the idea – see e.g. Stu Donovan’s posts on the topic.…
The alternative route
Congestion pricing has once again hit the political radar, with the news that the Auckland Transport Alignment Project has recommended it as an option to more efficiently manage the transport network. They find that variable road tolls – highest during peak periods on busy roads and low (or even zero) at off-peak times – are the single most effective intervention to improve traffic flow.…
Congestion prices, carbon taxes, and the art of the possible
If you ask an economist about transport policy, it’s a certainty that they will mention congestion pricing at some point. It’s easy to see why. Currently, we manage our roads like a Soviet supermarket: access is rationed by queues rather than prices.…
NZTA on motorways solving congestion
Last week the NZTA posted this video on their YouTube channel as part of a series talking about motorway works in Christchurch. Not sure I could have said it better myself.…
What’s causing Upper Harbour Dr congestion
Last week the Upper Harbour Local Board passed a resolution (below) to try and get Auckland Transport to rip out recently installed cycle lanes near the intersection of Upper Harbour Dr (UHD) and Albany Highway. It’s a section of road that I am very familiar with as I use it regularly when I ride to work.…
TomTom congestion report (repost)
This is a repost from 2013 in the issues with the TomTom congestion report of which the latest version has been released today.
TomTom have once again released their meaningless congestion index.
TomTom has announced the results of the TomTom Traffic Index 2013, revealing New Zealanders waste up to 93 hours a year stuck in traffic and that Wellingtonian’s experienced the worst traffic delays during peak hours, spending up to an extra 41 minutes in an hour commute.…
Building a better city: Policies and perspectives (part 1 of 2)
This is the first half of a two-part series of posts. It summarises a few ideas that have been banging around the back of my head for a while – basically, an attempt to answer the question: “What can economics do for cities?”…
Now that’s a traffic jam
Think Auckland has a congestion problem, take a look at these images from China a few days ago on the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway. It’s the result of people heading home at the end of a week long national holiday. The bottleneck kind of reminds me of this image from Sydney – and which is equally appropriate for another road based harbour crossing s…
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