32 Learn to love congestion

Ask anyone and they’ll say that they hate traffic, but that’s not at all evident from how we act. On the outskirts of this city we’re letting planners dual the ring road which will, over time, only induce more traffic. Within the city, engineers tweak traffic lights and road space in futile attempts to speed up the flow, which simply allows for even greater traffic volumes to feed the inevitable gridlock. All the evidence points to the fact that this will never end. Traffic in York has grown 56% since the nineties and is predicted to grow a further 61% by 2050! As a wise man once quipped, “Building more roads to prevent congestion is like a fat man loosening his belt to prevent obesity.”

Traffic planning by Homer Simpson!

So why, as a society, do we constantly plan and engineer for more traffic when as individuals, we hate congestion? As cyclists, we hate it because it makes the roads hostile and dangerous. As motorists, we hate it because it slows our journeys down, seemingly turning seconds into minutes and minutes into hours. Indeed, when it gets really bad, it’s practically the only thing that will get us out of our cars.

So here’s the point – rather than fighting it, how about we let congestion do its work? Because whether you choose to expand, maintain or reduce road capacity, the outcome is ever the same. Like death and taxes, congestion will always be with us. And therein lies its power – why not let it take its course and make it work for us?

Instead of endlessly trying to build or engineer it out, plan for modal shift (when people choose to walk, cycle or take the bus). Make cycling a safe and realistic choice by reallocating road space to accommodate all the additional journeys by bike, bus and foot. The sooner we reach the congested tipping point at which people abandon their cars, the sooner we’ll get down to the serious business of providing viable and sustainable alternatives. It's time to accept congestion and adopt it as a policy instrument.

Traffic planning by Homer Simpson:

“Building more roads to prevent congestion is like a fat man loosening his belt to prevent obesity”