Fewer roads means better quality of life

It is easy to analogize traffic as fluid, assuming a certain volume flows through a road system, but urban traffic, such as Calgary traffic, is more comparable to a gas that expands to fill a space.

It’s simple. More roads breed more drivers. Transport economists call it induced traffic.

This concept follows the adage supply and demand theory indicating investments in roads (increased supply) always results in higher quantity (more cars on the road).

Road building to ease traffic flows has long been Calgary’s Achilles heel, but rapid outward growth and economic upturns in the last 20 years have forced the hands of the pundits.
We seem to build or improve and even want more roads.

But if Calgary is to break into the class of world class, taxpaying delegates like you, me, and even city council need to practise prudence, exercise some vision and let the experts chime in.
Professor of strategy and global management Jim Dewald says to build a city founded on roads is to turn your back on quality of life, fiscal responsibility and environmental sustainability.

“It (investing in roads) is wasteful and harmful, and it is time for our city council to lead on this issue for the long-term benefit of all Calgarians,” said Dewald.
It seems the city is on board.

The Department of Transportation is prioritizing a more pedestrian-friendly, customer-focused transit system, with more bike facilities and more compact communities making better use of existing transit infrastructure, according to director of transportation Don Mulligan.

“The city plans to invest in transit that supports transit-oriented development,” said Mulligan.
“But it will take some patience and vision on the part of all Calgarians to see these plans through.”

A $3.9-billion capital expenditure projection over the next 10 years outlined in the transportation infrastructure investment plan estimates $204 million will be spent on major road projects in 2009 and only $18 million in 2018.

With walking, cycling and public transit at the top of the transportation hierarchy, Calgary is moving towards a less congested future.

Citizens hankering for an extra lane here or an overpass there need to look a generation ahead, and trust the policies of trained planners now.

Calgary’s budding culture depends on it.

City council needs the moxie to stop falling back on short-term transportation solutions to appease voters, and put their city on the pedestal it deserves.