Eli5: it’s said that creating larger highways doesn’t increase traffic flow because people who weren’t using it before will start. But isn’t that still a net gain?

Question

If people are being diverted from side streets to the highway because the highway is now wider, then that means side streets are cleared up. Not to mention the people who were taking side streets can now enjoy a quicker commute on the highway

In: Engineering

Answer 1

It is a short term benefit. Eventually people may choose to live further from their work than they did before. Also, they may choose to shop further away from their homes causing smaller and more local businesses to struggle.

You don’t want to build zero roads. People and goods need to move around. But there are trade offs to making it super-easy for everyone to be able to drive all the way across the metro area for everything.