Subways, Strikes, and Slowdowns: The Impacts of Public Transit on Traffic Congestion
48 Pages Posted: 2 Feb 2013 Last revised: 3 Apr 2022
Date Written: February 2013
Abstract
Public transit accounts for only 1% of U.S. passenger miles traveled but nevertheless attracts strong public support. Using a simple choice model, we predict that transit riders are likely to be individuals who commute along routes with the most severe roadway delays. These individuals' choices thus have very high marginal impacts on congestion. We test this prediction with data from a sudden strike in 2003 by Los Angeles transit workers. Estimating a regression discontinuity design, we find that average highway delay increases 47% when transit service ceases. This effect is consistent with our model's predictions and many times larger than earlier estimates, which have generally concluded that public transit provides minimal congestion relief. We find that the net benefits of transit systems appear to be much larger than previously believed.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
Factor Price Equality and the Economies of the United States
By Andrew B. Bernard, Stephen J. Redding, ...
-
Factor Price Equality and the Economies of the United States
By Andrew B. Bernard, J. Bradford Jensen, ...
-
Factor Price Equality and the Economies of the United States
By Andrew B. Bernard, Stephen J. Redding, ...
-
The Effect of Trade on the Demand for Skill - Evidence from the Interstate Highway System
By Guy Michaels
-
The Effect of Trade on the Demand for Skill - Evidence from the Interstate Highway System
By Guy Michaels
-
Spatial Determinants of Productivity: Analysis for the Regions of Great Britain
By Patricia Rice and Anthony J. Venables
-
The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from Us Cities
By Gilles Duranton and Matthew Turner
-
The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from US Cities
By Gilles Duranton and Matthew Turner
-
Factor Price Equalization in the UK?
By Andrew B. Bernard, Stephen J. Redding, ...