Introduction
One of the main problems facing transportation and logistics management in the US is congestion. Congestion occurs when there is an excess of vehicles in a particular portion of a roadway, and consequently, the vehicles’ speeds slow down. Traffic congestion is a problem that affects everyone in the country.
Commuters suffer from a delay in their routines, while businesses struggle with profit losses due to delayed products on the roads. Delivery services also disappoint customers as they often fail to deliver their goods on time. The losses accumulate, leading to the country’s economy and businesses to falter and close. The country must recognize the costs of traffic congestion and make timely improvements in the transportation and logistics sector.
Traffic congestion is an increasingly significant problem, with people spending unnecessary hours and fuel in traffic daily. They found that US citizens spend an additional 6.9 billion hours commuting due to congestion. Analytical researchers delved deeper into the issue in the following years and revealed that an ordinary US driver loses nearly 100 hours because of traffic congestion (Afrin & Yodo, 2021). Therefore, it is evident that traffic congestion is a significant problem in the country, and it is necessary to deal with it.
Root Causes
The capacity of the roads and the weather are some of the leading root causes of traffic congestion in the United States. Capacity is affected by the layout of the road, particularly the number of lanes, the width of the shoulders, and their alignment, which also subsequently impacts the traffic flow. Roads with more lanes, broader shoulders, and proper alignment can handle high traffic levels.
The weather certainly plays a significant role in traffic congestion in the US, resulting in low visibility, slippery roads, and road closures. Low visibility, particularly during rainy and foggy weather, impairs the drivers’ ability to perceive and react to road movement (Hammad et al., 2019). Hazardous weather conditions can trigger closures and detours, putting more pressure on the remaining roads.
Accidents and improper use of traffic devices are also contributing factors to traffic congestion. According to Chen et al. (2019), the US will bear the most significant burden of road injuries, at nearly $500 billion from 2015 to 2030. The amount reveals the high number of road accidents in the country. During an accident, the colliding vehicles will block at least one lane of the road, increasing pressure on the other lanes.
On the other hand, traffic devices are valuable in improving the flow and safety of the roads. Yet, they can increase congestion in certain situations by having poor timing or coordination. Inadequate or improperly designed and maintained traffic devices could cause delays.
The three main factors contributing to the traffic congestion problem are rapid population growth, improving economic conditions, and urbanization. The country experiences high population growth, particularly given its high quality of medical care and immigration. The number of immigrants in the US surpassed 49 million people in 2017, therefore proving that it is a significant factor in the country’s population growth (Ma & Hofmann, 2019). Most job opportunities that attract immigrants are constrained in urban and metropolitan areas.
Effects of Traffic Congestion
The potential perils of not solving the traffic congestion problem include increased travel time and fuel consumption, a reduced quality of life, and worsening environmental issues. The US population is expected to grow in the coming years due to advancements in technology, scientific research, and improvements in the quality of care and treatment. There will be additional pressure on the roads, which will likely lead to more severe traffic congestion. Therefore, without a solution to the problem, people will spend extra time in traffic, multiplying fuel consumption.
There is also the possibility of a reduction in life quality. Traffic congestion results in extreme stress for road users, who are frustrated and anxious, waiting for the vehicles to clear the road. The frustration comes from the time and energy wastage that can reduce time spent with family and friends and lead to missed deadlines, absenteeism, and lateness.
Furthermore, traffic congestion will increase environmental pollution. Air pollution relates to numerous diseases, particularly respiratory and cardiovascular infections, which increase mortality rates (Almetwally et al., 2020). Consequently, the country will spend more on medical treatments, reducing its economic strength.
Solutions
If left unchecked, traffic congestion will have severe consequences for the physical and mental health of the people and the country’s economy. The government should increase its investment and funding in transportation infrastructure, providing money for adding lanes and replacing traffic devices. Transportation agencies, starting with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration, should propose and implement regulations that optimize the traffic flow. For example, the Federal Highway Administration can collect more data on the objective and subjective aspects of traffic congestion, similar to the study in Beijing City by Sun and Lu (2022).
The private sector also has a crucial role in aiding the problem by partnering with the federal, local, and state governments to develop effective, sustainable initiatives. The public can also contribute to solving traffic congestion by adopting alternative modes of transportation that reduce the problem. For example, they can walk, skate, carpool, or use public transport.
Conclusion
Traffic congestion is one of the major problems affecting the transportation and logistics sector, causing massive losses in time and fuel consumption. The root causes of the problem are low road capacity, poor weather, accidents, and improper traffic devices. The consequences of allowing the traffic congestion problem to go unchecked are dire. As a result, it calls for solutions from concerned entities, starting from the federal, state, and local governments, transportation and logistics agencies, the private sector, and the public.
References
Afrin, T., & Yodo, N. (2021). A probabilistic estimation of traffic congestion using a Bayesian network. Measurement, 174. Web.
Almetwally, A. A., Bin-Jumah, M., & Allam, A. A. (2020). Ambient air pollution and its influence on human health and welfare: an overview. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(20), 24815-24830. Web.
Chen, S., Kuhn, M., Prettner, K., & Bloom, D. E. (2019). The global macroeconomic burden of road injuries: estimates and projections for 166 countries. The Lancet Planetary Health, 3(9), e390-e398. Web.
Hammad, H. M., Ashraf, M., Abbas, F., Bakhat, H. F., Qaisrani, S. A., Mubeen, M., & Awais, M. (2019). Environmental factors affecting the frequency of road traffic accidents: a case study of sub-urban area of Pakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(12), 11674-11685. Web.
Ma, G., & Hofmann, E. T. (2019). Immigration and environment in the US: A spatial study of air quality. The Social Science Journal, 56(1), 94-106. Web.
Sun, C., & Lu, J. (2022). The Relative Roles of Socioeconomic Factors and Governance Policies in Urban Traffic Congestion: A Global Perspective. Land, 11(10), 1616. Web.