Essay: How the vast amount of cars effects traffic and congestion in America

It is difficult to imagine living in a world without cars. Although it seems like the car has been around since the dawn of time, the automobile culture as we know it did not emerge until Henry Ford developed the Model T and the assembly line (Romans). Consequently, the mass-production of automobile allowed for cheaper cars (Guicci 2). As cars became cheaper, they became more available to the masses, and replaced almost every other form of transportation. What was originally an amenity of the wealthy was now available to all (4). However, the popularity of the car led the growing modern issue of traffic congestion, which concerns everyone (Renner 1-2). We live in a world where traffic jams are a frequent and frustrating experience in our daily lives, especially in large cities. In fact, a 2013 article stated that \”Americans commuters, on average, spent more than a week stuck in traffic in 2011\”, which cost each motorist about $1000 of wasted gas, vehicle maintenance costs, and lost productivity (Forsynth par. 1 and 9). Additionally, the amount of gas burned by cars in a traffic jam does more harm to the environment than moving traffic (Sanders par. 1). Indeed, traffic congestion is an issue, and there are various solutions to alleviate traffic congestion. This essay explores three of the many solutions to traffic congestion that are in place in large areas, which include the Bus Rapid Transit, the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) throughout the United States, and the license plate lottery in Beijing.
Baltimore lies within a region that suffers from the worst of the United States\’ traffic congestion problems (Guckert par. 3). \”The average automobile commuter in the region is delayed 74 hours each year, burning through 37 gallons of gasoline and costing each commuter $1,495 dollars annually\” (par. 3). As a result, the state of Maryland has been on the search for cost-effective solutions to ease the heavy traffic in Baltimore (par. 2). One solution would be through a light rail system. Although light rail is capable of reducing traffic congestion by reducing the number of cars on the road, it is unnecessarily expensive (par. 1). In 2015, the Governor of Maryland proposed to replace the Baltimore City\’s Red Line light rail system with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) (par. 1). Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a bus transit system that operates similar to light rail or metro (par. 8-9). Light rail costs approximately between $150 million to $250 million per mile, BRT has the potential to cost a fraction of the price per mile (par. 1). Although it is cheaper, the quality of transport is not at compromise (par. 7). BRT provides the comforts that one would expect of modern rail such as Wi-Fi, level boarding, and off-vehicle payment systems (par. 7). In addition to its cost-effectiveness, Bus Rapid Transit has other advantages over light rail (par. 7). For instance, Bus Rapid Transit has more flexibility than light rail in that Bus Rapid Transit is able to change from one lane to another or switch routes, whereas light rail is unable to alter routes (par. 7). BRT is not yet in effect in Baltimore, however, this form of mass transit in other large cities has proven to be helpful in other large cities (par. 13). For example, if each of the BRT passengers in Cleveland had a car, the Bus Rapid Transit would have removed over 29 million automobiles from the road since 2008 (par. 13). By taking a significant number of cars from the road, Bus Rapid Transit helps to ease traffic congestion in large cities such as Baltimore (par. 11).
Despite public transport providing an efficient means of commuting that relieves heavy traffic, many Americans still prefer their cars over public transportation. As a result, the United States is committed to controlling congestion by implementing intelligent transportation systems (ITS) (Meneguette 1). \”The main goal of the ITS is to provide the driver and passengers with a safe, pleasant, and efficient means of transport\” (2). This system relies on communication between vehicles to monitor the flow of vehicles on the road and the conditions of the road, which allows for smoother traffic (2). As a car travels through a certain area, it is able to release information to nearby cars (2). The information is then relayed to the neighboring drivers, notifying them of any ahead of time, prompting them to decide their course of action (2). Should the disruption in flowing traffic result in a large group of slowly-moving cars on the road, the driver is then able to switch to a non-congested route, which is suggested by the Intelligent Transportation System (2). This is especially useful during the ironically-called rush hour in larger cities and metropolitan areas, where the high density of automobiles on the road is frustrating to many drivers (2). In fact, ITS has proven itself as an effective method to relieve traffic congestion, for an increasing number of cars are being manufactured to incorporate intelligent transportation systems (2). By monitoring roads, detecting traffic jams, and redirecting drivers to different itineraries, intelligent transportation systems are able to more evenly distribute cars by preventing them to pile up and contribute to congestion (2).
While we, as Americans, have the option to commute by private transportation in a car or mass transit, the Chinese have a rather, different solution to traffic congestion. Air quality has been an increasing concern for China, a country known to be enveloped in smog, a toxic combination of smoke and fog that is a result of air pollution (Liu par. 1). One of the leading contributors to smog in China is a result of vehicle emissions (par. 1-2). In fact, vehicle exhaust comprises 31.1% of air pollution in Beijing, making vehicle exhaust the city\’s number one air pollutant (par. 2). The use of automobiles is infamous for its negative impacts on the environment, and decreasing dependency upon the car is vital for reducing air pollution, especially in Beijing (par. 3). In fact, Beijing, being one of the world\’s most congested cities, releases copious amounts of toxic substances found in vehicle exhaust such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide into the already-polluted air (Yang par. 16, par. 18). As a result, policymakers in the city have taken initiative to alleviate the traffic issue by establishing a license plate lottery in an effort to reduce the number of cars on the road, thus easing traffic congestion (par. 2). Due to this policy, potential car buyers are required to participate in a yearly randomized lottery that distributes license plates to a limited number of people, which is required in order to purchase a car (\”LD-Writethru\” par 2, par. 11). Because Beijing is well-known for its traffic congestion, the license plate lottery is responsible for dramatically decreasing the number of cars on the road (Yang par. 4, par.11). \”In the first few years after adoption of the policy, growth in the number of cars in Beijing has been sharply reduced\” (par. 11). As a result of the license plate lottery, it is predicted that the number of vehicles on the road will reduce by eleven percent by 2020, which is a significant amount, considering in 2010 Beijing boasted a population of 19.6 million and had 4.8 million cars (par. 13, par. 15).
In conclusion, the three solutions presented provide three different solutions to traffic congestion in large, heavily congested cities. Bus Rapid Transit decreases the amount of cars on the road through mass transit. Intelligent Transportation Systems prevent drivers from contributing to traffic jams and redirecting them to less-congested roads, thus distributing the number of cars in the same area. The license plate lottery in Beijing eases congestion by limiting the number of automobiles permitted on its roads. Given the fact that Americans enjoy private transportation over public transportation, intelligent transportation systems would be the prevailing solution in the United States. Because we cannot force Americans to trade their cars for public transport, we must cater to their love for driving. However, it is inevitable that the government will eventually take responsibility to resolve the issue of traffic congestion and perhaps require that all cars in the United States include intelligent transportation systems. Although I enjoy being able to drive a car, traffic congestion has always put a damper on my driving experience. The number of cars on the road at the same time gives me much anxiety, especially during rush hour on the highway. Unfortunately, the car I drive is rather old and is not equipped with the applications that warn me of traffic jams ahead before I become trapped on the highway for two or three hours until I navigate to an exit. These situations are undeniably stressful. However, they are avoidable if every car was equipped with intelligent transportation systems. Traffic would be redirected, and congestion would reduce. Therefore, intelligent transportation systems is the best method for easing traffic congestion in highly populated areas.