Are 6 lanes paved with good intentions?
Saint John doesn’t have a twinned highway linking it to our provincial capital Fredericton. Yet, another announcement has come from the department of transportation about highway work in the southwestern part of the province, and this linkage is not on the to-do list.
Instead the Province has decided to use its dazzle words of energy hub, gateway and self sufficiency, to add two more lanes – for a total of six – to the MacKay highway linking Saint John with the suburbs.
Critics have gathered in their online communities suggesting this plan isn’t stellar. At Skyscraper Page Forum talk of capacity in terms of “vehicles per hour per lane” has elevated the discussion beyond simple criticism.
I’ve heard before that adding lanes doesn’t do that great a job at alleviating traffic in the longer term. If more lanes make using the highway easier, than more people will use the highway, so the logic goes.
Hopefully this plan can followed up with more news about improvements to communter bus service to the suburbs – it would be good to know that the Province is thinking of more than just single occupant vehicles and transport trades vehicles when they make transportation plans.
4 comments:
The term you're looking for is "induced traffic" or the "Braess Paradox". More lanes means more traffic.
Here's an interesting look at the complete opposite of increasing lanes on highways -- eliminate them altogether! Although this approach might not work for the Mackay, there are some good points to be made here.
http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/07/06/huh-4-cases-of-how-tearing-down-a-highway-can-relieve-traffic-jams-and-help-save-a-city/
I must say, I am not surprised by this decision at all, although I am highly disappointed. For once I'd like to lead the pack on sustainability rather than supporting the freakin' suburbs again. Doesn't anybody realize that car culture is killing us and our cities? This is the one decision where the status quo is a far better option. And the Mackay is only busy for 2 hours a day -- is it really necessary to go to this expense? There is a reason its called "rush hour".
This decision will only be a further drain on Saint John's population and give Ivan Court yet another thing to complain about.
Now that the refinery project is on hold the government will have to twin highway 7 instead to carry the traffic heading out west.
It is a backwards plan and it makes me very nervous that time, money, and energy is being invested in such ridiculous plans.
I believe a paradigm shift needs to occur and it needs to come from leadership and legislation. I have proposed some of these ideas in my updated blog post on the subject: http://tr.im/uAkN
One solution would be make the 3 lane a toll highway, to pay for maintenance and building costs. People should be allowed to live in the suburbs if they like but they need to pay for the increase cost of the infrastructure to live there, life is about choice.
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