How Highways Make Traffic Worse
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Engineering
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Vox
What it is
- This Vox video examines why highway expansion makes traffic worse for commuters, opening with the example of Houston's Katy Freeway.
- The video describes some alternative approaches that may provide some solutions, including improving public transit options, enacting policies to disincentivize people from using highways, and removing highways altogether.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This video is a great resource for explaining the complicated phenomenon of "induced demand," when increasing the availability of highway lanes actually does not solve the problem of traffic congestion.
- This video can be a great case study for students to investigate relevant policies that are impacting climate change.
Prerequisites
- An understanding of basic economic principles, such as supply and demand, would be helpful.
- Consider introducing the term "induced demand" before viewing the video.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This is a great video to incorporate into science classes, economics classes, or history classes because it discusses the environmental, social, and political aspects of the transportation problems we currently face in the United States.
- Students can take time time to evaluate alternative solutions and weigh the pros and cons.
- Teachers can make connections to students' background knowledge by asking them to discuss their experience with highways.
From the scientist review
Over one third of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions come from transportation. In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, the number of cars on the road needs to decrease. In this Vox video, it is shown how creating more highways just leads to more traffic and more cars on the road, resulting in even more greenhouse gas emissions. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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