Comments on: Braess in Boston? http://www.howwedrive.com/2008/09/10/braess-in-boston/ Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 17 May 2012 04:06:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Brian http://www.howwedrive.com/2008/09/10/braess-in-boston/#comment-896 Brian Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:59:31 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=241#comment-896 I've noticed a similar phenomenon on some recent urban transportation situations. When the I-35W bridge collapsed in Minnesota, studies showed that delay on the metro roadway system was virtually unaffected 3-6 months later. In this case the community came together to increase transit use, telecommuting, etc. However, the tramsportation officials also made significant improvements to alternate routes. In St. Louis a major Interstate is being closed for two years for construction. With a large amount of planning (and improvements made to heavily-used alternates), the region has avoided what the media deemed a "pending apocalypse" in the months before the closure. IMO it's a combination of 1)People taking responsibility for their transportation during "crisis" and 2)a ton of behind the scenes work done by transportation workers that no one notices. I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon on some recent urban transportation situations. When the I-35W bridge collapsed in Minnesota, studies showed that delay on the metro roadway system was virtually unaffected 3-6 months later. In this case the community came together to increase transit use, telecommuting, etc. However, the tramsportation officials also made significant improvements to alternate routes.

In St. Louis a major Interstate is being closed for two years for construction. With a large amount of planning (and improvements made to heavily-used alternates), the region has avoided what the media deemed a “pending apocalypse” in the months before the closure.

IMO it’s a combination of 1)People taking responsibility for their transportation during “crisis” and 2)a ton of behind the scenes work done by transportation workers that no one notices.

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