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Congestion in highways when tolls and railroads matter: Evidence from European cities

Author

Listed:
  • Miquel-Àngel Garcia-López

    (Department of Applied Economics, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain)

  • Ilias Pasidis

    (Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB), Universidad de Barcelona 08034, Barcelona, Spain)

  • Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal

    (Department of Economics, Universidad de Barcelona 08034, Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract
Using data from the 545 largest European cities, we study whether the expansion of their highway capacity provides a solution to the problem of traffic congestion. Our results confirm that in the long run, and in line with the ’fundamental law of highway congestion’, the expansion in cities of lane kilometers causes an increase in vehicle traffic that does not solve urban congestion. We disentangle the increase in traffic due to the increases in coverage and in capacity. We further introduce road pricing and public transit policies in order to test whether they moderate congestion. Our findings confirm that the induced demand is considerably smaller in cities with road pricing schemes, and that congestion decreases with the expansion of public transportation.

Suggested Citation

  • Miquel-Àngel Garcia-López & Ilias Pasidis & Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal, 2020. "Congestion in highways when tolls and railroads matter: Evidence from European cities," Working Papers wpdea2011, Department of Applied Economics at Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona.
    • Handle: RePEc:uab:wprdea:wpdea2011
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    4. Zhong, Ninghua & Cai, Dongmei & Lian, Fangzhou & Yan, Shengyu, 2024. "Highway usage efficiency and debt burden: Evidence from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    congestion; highways; Europe; cities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • R48 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government Pricing and Policy

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