What causes traffic congestion?
Local state legislators and northwest suburban mayors believe affordable housing is essential in reducing costly large-scale traffic congestion in Chicago and its suburbs. Their remarks came after the Metropolitan Council Planning released a report Tuesday (Aug. 5) in Chicago, claiming traffic delays and its related problems cost the city and its six collar counties $7.3 billion a year. The study, “Moving at the Speed of Congestion,” analyzed counties Cook, Lake, DuPage, McHenry, Kane and Will, where steep costs were cited in lost work productivity, pollution, infrastructure and gasoline. State Rep. Kathy Ryg, D-59th, said the northwest suburbs do not benefit enough from fixed route transits, such as PACE buses, for traveling to jobs and Metra commuter stations for longer trips. “Too many people are reliant on cars, but they have to keep moving farther and farther away from jobs because of a lack of affordable housing in the inner suburbs,” said Ryg, adding many young people and famili
Traffic congestion is created when there is excess demand on a highway or road, or when the actual number of vehicles on the road is greater than the capacity of that road to maintain effective traffic flow. Congestion is caused by a variety of factors: construction, lane reductions in the road, a collision on the road, rubbernecking, bad weather, and poor signal timing are a few.
