Driving to save time on the commute could leave us all in a jam

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-06-23 09:01

International

If you are driving to work to save time, you'd better hope everyone else isn't doing the same thing, as international researchers have found that when enough of us take to the wheel, it ends up having the opposite effect, sending commute times soaring. The authors say that as long as driving in a city is more secure, more comfortable and faster than using public transport, cycling or walking, people will eventually be seduced by a car, and many will ultimately drive. They say cities need fewer and shorter journeys, accessibility so that people can walk, cycling lanes and more public transport, so that the best transport mode for everyone is not to use a car.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

A paradox of traffic and extra cars in a city as a collective behaviour

People often decide to use a car instead of walking or cycling or using public transport to minimise their commuting time. However, they face congested avenues and traffic during rush hour due to the cost that drivers impose on others. In the worst-case scenario, because of traffic and the collective decision-making process, a city might observe the highest commuting times and an excess of cars even if, paradoxically, everyone is trying to minimise their own time.

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Research The Royal Society, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).

Journal/
conference: Royal Society Open Science

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University College London, UK

Funder: This article was completed with support from the PEAK Urban programme, funded by UKRI’s Global Challenge Research Fund, grant Ref: ES/P011055/1.

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