Introduction
Transportation congestion is a significant issue that impacts the U.S. and the world. Transportation is an essential part of society, but many areas are experiencing more traffic than ever before with increased population and development (Sugawara, 2017). Therefore, it is crucial to invest in transportation infrastructure and alternative modes of transportation, such as public transit, to combat this problem.
This year it has been estimated that Americans will spend more than three billion hours stuck in traffic (Hosseini & Al Khaled, 2021). That is an average of thirty minutes per day, three hundred sixty-five days a year, for each driver on U.S. roads and highways. Moreover, unfortunately, the situation is only getting worse as the human population grows and cities expand their borders.
Causes of congestion
Transportation congestion is a substantial issue throughout the world. The roads, railroads, and waterways are all heavily congested daily worldwide. One of the reasons for this is that many of these expressways, including rails and waterways, do not have enough space to accommodate all people who would like to use them (Kumar et al., 2021). The additional problem is that many of these transportation hubs, such as rail ports, airports, and seaports, are congested with freight. As a result, trucks carrying goods often have to wait in line for long periods to get into or out of these facilities.
There are many ways through which physical infrastructure can cause congestion. For example, irregular spacing in road networks can lead to traffic jams, rail network congestion by competition from trains can lead to delays, and waterway congestion caused by limited dock space can lead to backups. These factors can create bottlenecks that slow down the flow of goods.
Information flow is critical for managing a smooth-running supply chain. When goods are delayed at border crossings, it can create a bottleneck that slows the entire system down. Delays by corporations to process orders can also cause congestion and gridlock at international gateways (Sugawara, 2017). These factors can lead to higher costs and reduced profits for companies.
Solutions
Poor infrastructure is one of the causes of transportation congestion. The trucking industry claims that it spends more than 5 million hours stuck in traffic each year, which costs drivers about $64 billion due to lost time and wasted fuel (Kumar et al., 2021). Truckers themselves also pay billions each year due to traffic jams. By improving roads and implementing other solutions such as freight processing areas and outsourcing production, we can help to reduce congestion and improve the flow of goods.
One way to improve infrastructure is to build bypasses and lanes specifically for trucks. It will help separate truck traffic from regular traffic, leading to a decrease in congestion. In addition, technology can make the flow of goods more efficient (Yazdani et al., 2020). For example, terminals can be used to store and process goods, which will help to reduce the number of delays that occur at borders and in urban areas. Outsourcing production can also help to reduce congestion, as it will lead to a decrease in the number of goods being transported.
Effects of regulations
All three of these effects can cause significant harm to the economy and the environment. For example, increased congestion can increase pollution emissions as cars and trucks spend more time on the road idling in traffic (Kumar et al., 2021). As a result, it hurts the environment and can lead to health problems for people living near busy streets.
Increased congestion can also lead to higher costs for businesses and consumers as they need to pay more money for travel or wait longer to receive goods and services (Yazdani et al., 2020). These additional transportation costs might make it harder for business owners to compete in their industry and raise the prices of goods and services, increasing the cost of living for all Americans.
Four environmental Issues
The emissions from cars and other vehicles create smog, a harmful air pollutant. The pollutants harm ecosystems. Road transport is the primary cause of Major pollution cities such as Los Angeles, London, and Mexico City are suffering from air pollution caused by increased car use (Hosseini & Al Khaled, 2021). Smog is a major problem in big cities like these. The pollutants which come from cars include carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and various volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
In 2010, the city of London surpassed a previous record for noise at Heathrow airport by hitting a maximum noise level of 84 decibels (Yazdani et al., 2020). Noise pollution can lead to heart complications and even cause hearing loss and high blood pressure. Some measures may be used to control this kind of pollution, such as construction regulations and limiting the number of people on the streets at any given time. However, it is crucial to consider that noise pollution is an issue for major metropolitan areas and rural communities that experience increased traffic from people traveling to and from urban areas.
Conclusion
While air pollution is more rampant than water pollution, water pollutants contribute significantly to the deadly mix of toxins in the air. The problem is so massive that cities such as Los Angeles and New York spend billions of dollars on reducing this pollution (Yazdani et al., 2020). In addition, cargo ships and oil spills contribute significantly to environmental problems. However, the impact can be minimized if strict measures are implemented and adhere fragmentation of habitats by cargo routes can be seen as a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services, but it also could have a positive side. It is not clear if the economic development brought by cargo transportation is worth the ecological cost. The increase in global trade has transformed many terrestrial ecosystems worldwide (Appannagari, 2017). Cargo transportation has become an essential part of the global economy, but the ecological footprint of this industry has not been well studied.
Fragmentation of habitats by cargo routes can be seen as a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services. The increased demand for goods has led to an increase in the size and number of cargo transportation networks. The roads, railways, pipelines, and shipping lanes have fragmented many terrestrial ecosystems (Appannagari, 2017). The construction of these networks has caused the loss of natural habitats, the pollution of air and water, and the introduction of non-native species.
References
Appannagari, R. R. (2017). Environmental pollution causes and consequences: a study.North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 3(8), 151-161.
Hosseini, S., & Al Khaled, A. (2021). Freight flow optimization to evaluate the criticality of intermodal surface transportation system infrastructures.Computers & Industrial Engineering, 159, 107522.
Kumar, A., Calzavara, M., Velaga, N. R., Choudhary, A., & Shankar, R. (2019). Modeling and analysis of sustainable freight transportation.International Journal of Production Research, 57(19), 6086-6089.
Sugawara, J. (2017). Port and hinterland network: a case study of the Crescent Corridor intermodal freight program in the U.S. Transportation Research Procedia, 25, 916-927.
Yazdani, M., Pamucar, D., Chatterjee, P., & Chakraborty, S. (2020). Develop a decision support framework for sustainable freight transport system evaluation using rough numbers. International Journal of Production Research, 58(14), 4325-4351.