Recurring and Non-Recurring Congestion

A discussion of the causes and impacts of recurring and non-recurring congestion accompanied with a review of potential solutions and existing examples. While congestion is a broad and subjective matter, research focused on the separate causes of recurring congestion – mainly capacity and behavioral issues – and non-recurring congestion – mainly incidents which cause unexpected congestion and the impacts of general congestion on the economy, environment, and commuters. Sources reviewed include The Transportation Research Board Special Report: Implementing the Results of the Second Strategic Highway Research Program: Saving Lives, Reducing Congestion, Improving Quality of Life, Peter R. Stopher’s article “Reducing Road Congestion: a Reality Check,” Balaker and Staley’s The Road More Traveled: Why the Congestion Crisis Matters More than You Think and What We Can Do About It, and Anthony Down’s Still Stuck In Traffic: Coping with Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion.