Certain perceptions about the impacts of induced highway travel prevail among some metropolitan transportation stakeholders: (1) that new personal highway travel induced by highway expansion accounts for most of observed travel growth; (2) that metropolitan planners do not account for induced personal highway travel in their traffic forecasts for expanded highways; and (3) that it is pointless to expand highways because induced personal highway travel “consumes” most or all of the added capacity. These negative perceptions are being used as arguments to stop highway expansions in metropolitan areas. This paper acknowledges that induced travel is an issue that needs to be addressed, clarifies the issues, and discusses how the issues can be addressed in the transportation planning process and in transportation investment decisions. (A)
Samenvatting