(07-18-2021 01:18 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(07-18-2021 12:51 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(07-18-2021 09:40 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(07-18-2021 09:28 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  democrats look to crush states highway habit

The bill, H.R. 3684 (117), would erect new bureaucratic hurdles for states seeking to spend federal money on laying asphalt, while steering them to more climate-friendly options like transit. It also would give cities more power over selecting and funding transportation projects — boosting the leverage of Democratic-led enclaves in red states such as Texas, where Houston is engaged in a high-profile fight with the state's DOT over a highway expansion local pols don't want.

I am not a Houstonian, not even a city dweller, so this fight is news to me, but it seems odd that Houston pols are against highway expansion.

Not at all odd. Look up something called “induced demand” if you are interested in learning a bit about why plenty of Houstonians are against highway expansion.I’ve learned about it over the years dro my friends in civil engineering and planning. There was an article in Wired recently that I read after seeing it on Twitter.

It sounds counterintuitive at first (at least it was for me), but it makes a lot of sense - especially for heavily trafficked urban highways.

Thank you. I will when I have time. Very busy now.

One of those fun things with Twitter where an old article gets new life - this was from 2014 it turns out, but not sure that really matters. It should still give you a basic explanation:

https://www.wired.com/2014/06/wuwt-traff...ed-demand/

Well, I have done what some people might refer to as my homework assignment,and found it very interesting. But what is preferred by the Houstonians who oppose more road building? After all, we have this finding:

“You might think that increasing investment in public transit could ease this mess. Many railway and bus projects are sold on this basis, with politicians promising that traffic will decrease once ridership grows. But the data showed that even in cities that expanded public transit, road congestion stayed exactly the same. “

So it sounds to me like nothing will help - neither more roads nor alternative modes of transportation.