Subways, Strikes, and Slowdowns: The Impacts of Public Transportation on Traffic Congestion

Using data from a 2003 transit worker strike in Los Angeles, the author predicts that it is not uncommon for transit riders to be people who commute on highways with severe traffic delays. He determines that average highway traffic delay increases 47% when transit services are not available. The author concludes that traffic congestion plays a large role in attracting commuters to transit services; and the net benefit of public transit systems is quite a bit larger than previously assumed.

• Record URL:
  http://www.nber.org/papers/w18757.pdf?new_window=1
• 
• Summary URL:
  http://www.nber.org/papers/w18757
• Corporate Authors:

  National Bureau of Economic Research

  1050 Massachusetts Avenue
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02138
• Authors:
  • Anderson, Michael L
• Publication Date: 2013-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: n.p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commuters; Mode choice; Personnel; Strikes; Subways; Traffic congestion; Traffic delays; Transit riders
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01483079
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: NBER Working Paper No. 18757
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 4 2013 11:08AM