MANAGING THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM: THE NEED FOR A NEW OPERATING PARADIGM

The U.S. transport system is facing a crisis of unprecedented congestion. Surveys consistently show that users of the transport system believe congestion affects their quality of life. The Texas Transportation Institute recently estimated the cost of congestion in 68 metropolitan areas to be $78 billion for 1999, including the cost of 4.5 billion hours of travel delay and 6.8 billion gallons of fuel wasted while travelers sat in traffic. This article, the first in a series in this publication on transportation system performance, describes some factors that contribute to the current congestion crisis and changes that transport agencies can implement to help solve this problem.