A survey released June 29 shows U.S. voters believe traffic reduction should be addressed through repairs to existing assets and providing additional transportation options rather than building new or expanded highways and freeways.
Sponsors of the survey say the results show a “deep dissatisfaction with the overall status quo of state and local transportation spending.” The survey sponsors also pointed out respondents understood the concept of induced demand, with 11 percent of respondents answering they felt state departments of transportation deliver congestion relief with highway expansions.
The survey, which was conducted by Hattaway Communications through a partnership with Smart Growth America, polled 2,001 registered voters across the United States on their awareness and attitudes toward transportation projects and their communities. The survey results show:
- 70 percent of respondents agree that “providing people with more transportation options is better for our health, safety and economy than building more highways.”
- 67 percent of respondents agreed that “expanding highways takes years, causes delays and costs billions of dollars.” The same percentage believes that “widening highways attracts more people to drive, which creates more traffic in the long run.”
- 69 percent of respondents agree that “it’s more important to protect our quality of life than to spend billions of tax dollars on expanding highways. By removing a few miles of highway and adding more transportation options, like trains, buses, bike lanes and sidewalks, we can have healthier communities.”
- 71 percent of respondents agree that “no matter where you live, you should have the freedom to easily get where you need to go. Almost all government spending on transportation goes to highways. Instead, states should fund more options, like trains, buses, bike lanes and sidewalks.”
“Our country remains on a highway spending spree while requests for basic investments in walkability and transit are given low priority. I hope this survey serves as a wake-up call to politicians that the public is clamoring for reasonable investments in our health, climate and quality of life, not traffic-inducing polluting highways,” said Mike McGinn, executive director of America Walks.
Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America, pointed to survey respondents’ preference for prioritizing repair of existing roads and bridges versus policy makers’ unease with prioritizing repairs.
“We’re repeatedly told by leaders on Capitol Hill that requiring states to prioritize maintenance first is just too controversial, but this survey shows yet again that there’s no controversy among the people they serve—they’re beyond ready to retire the last generation’s playbook when it comes to improving mobility and getting them where they need to go,” said Osborne.
A final element of the survey evaluated messaging on transportation spending. The respondents expressed positive feelings about a range of messages about spending transportation money differently. The sponsors of the survey believe this demonstrates voters are looking for new ideas, policies and/or investments that address their problems and deliver meaningful benefits to people and communities.
"These results are clear: Americans are eager to see the transportation investments that can connect and repair their communities,” said Rabi Abonour, a transportation advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Federal, state and local leaders should follow the lead of the public and invest in the public transit and related projects that will really improve mobility, clean the air and address climate pollution.”
The full survey can be viewed at Smart Growth America’s website.
