<<  <  >  >>

No. 617

May 27, 2008

�������

Roadmap to Gridlock

The Failure of Long-Range

Metropolitan Transportation Planning

by Randal O'Toole

Executive Summary

Long-range transportation planning necessar-

Federal law requires metropolitan planning

ily depends on uncertain forecasts. Planners also

organizations in urban areas of more than

set qualitative goals such as "vibrant communi-

50,000 people to write long-range (20- to 30-

ties" and quantifiable but incomparable goals

year) metropolitan transportation plans and to

such as "protecting historic resources." Such

revise or update those plans every 4 to 5 years. A

vagaries result in a politicized process that cannot

review of plans for more than 75 of the nation's

hope to find the most effective transportation

largest metropolitan areas reveals that virtually

solutions. Thus, long-range planning has con-

all of them fail to follow standard planning

tributed to, rather than prevented, the hextupling

methods. As a result, taxpayers and travelers have

of congestion American urban areas have suf-

little assurance that the plans make effective use

fered since 1982.

of available resources to reduce congestion, max-

Ideally, the federal government should not be

imize mobility, and provide safe transportation

in the business of funding local transportation

facilities.

and dictating local transportation policies. At the

Nearly half the plans reviewed here are not

least, Congress should repeal long-range trans-

cost effective in meeting transportation goals.

portation planning requirements in the next reau-

These plans rely heavily on behavioral tools such

thorization of federal surface transportation

as land-use regulation, subsidies to dense or

funding. Instead, metropolitan transportation

mixed-use developments, and construction of

organizations should focus planning on the short

expensive rail transit lines. Nearly 40 years of

term (5 years), and concentrate on quantifiable

experience with such tools has shown that they

factors that are directly related to transportation,

are expensive but provide negligible transporta-

including safety and congestion relief.

tion benefits.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Randal O'Toole is a senior fellow with the Cato Institute and author of The Best-Laid Plans: How Government

Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future.