Sunday, November 2, 2025

Awkwardly, rapid transit does almost nothing for drivers in the peak hour

 To be awkward, thanks to the Triple Convergence, rapid transit does almost nothing for drivers in the peak hour--trips just converge from other routes and other times. However, drivers on the shoulders of the peak (from whence trips migrate) do benefit. Rapid transit can still induce the long-cycle aspect of induced demand, when less-miserable commutes induces new development in peripheral areas. However, rapid transit continues to act as a congestion 'safety valve', such when the traffic congestion gets too bad, people switch from cars to rapid transit. But talking about rapid transit as a congestion reliever kind of misses the plot--parking is the real story, and rapid transit allows places to get denser (earlier, more cheaply) by reducing parking demand.