The Effects of Urban Public Transit Investment on Traffic Congestion and Air Quality

Abstract

Traffic congestion is ubiquitous across urban roadways, and the adverse health effects accompanying deteriorating air quality are an ongoing concern. Beyond these local effects, transportation is also a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and is thus a significant element of the climate change debate. A contentious issue currently confronting transportation analysts and policy-makers is what the effects of public transit investment on traffic congestion and on air quality are and therefore what the appropriate level of public transit investment should be. While public transit receives plenty of political support for its “green” reputation and its contribution to sustainability, there have been relatively few studies examining the ex post–effects of public transit investment on traffic congestion or air quality. In this chapter, we review our theoretical and empirical research on the effects of public transit investment on congestion, the demand for automobile travel, and air quality.