Three-fourths of Americans believe that smarter development and more public transportation are better long-term solutions for reducing traffic congestion than building new roads, according to the 2007 Growth and Transportation Survey.
Some highlights from the survey, which was sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and Smart Growth America:
- 90% believe that new communities should be designed so people can walk more and drive less
- 80% favor redeveloping older urban and suburban areas rather than build new housing and commercial development on the edge of existing suburbs.
- 55% approve of charging tolls on more roads if it improves roads and decreases congestion. On the other hand, 84% are opposed to selling roads and highways to private companies who would charge a toll and give a portion of the toll money to the state.
I would like to think the American people really are so strongly in support of the policies I advocate. But I’m guessing the situation is more complex. When people are asked these questions in the abstract, they give the answers the pollsters want. But when people make real-life decisions in concrete situations, the outcome is often very different. Still, I find the answers encouraging.
(Hat tip: Diana Sun)