How will traffic congestion be in 30 years or so?

I live in a suburb of Chicago and the traffic flow is generally poor. Especially during rush hour or going closer to the city, it is terrible, almost unbearable. I know this has to be going on in other parts of the country, probably more near larger cities of over 200,000 people. Traffic improvements are being made, but it seems like the road construction being done should have been done 5-10 years ago. And with so many cars on the road, and it only getting worse, I only imagine it getting even worse. I think something that should be done in many more areas is road widening. There are still way too many 2 lane roads that are way too crowded. And it seems like some of them will never be widened because there are houses or businesses built near the road. Even many 4 or 5 lane roads are extremely congested. It seems like widening a road past 2 lanes in each direction is so rarely done. I think some solutions would be more 6 and sometimes 8 lane roads, bypasses, more public transit, etc...How will traffic congestion be in 30 years or so?
You made some important points on the subject.



I can't think of any immediate plans being drawn to alleviate the congestion being experienced in many parts of the country, and parts of the world where populations are much higher than U.S.



If the government found time between war efforts to have a meeting between agencies and companies, heads from all the businesses involved like automobile makers to traffic control agencies to highway construction....if such a meeting were assembled and meeting of the minds were to take place...maybe we would see improvement.



Thirty years from now, I'd expect vulnerable places like N.Y.C. to have multi-level highways, literally in the sky, and even parking as well. Several tiers of higway would wrap around Manhattan as the water level rises below.



That's just one image of what the future portends.



For the now, if everyone were required to scale back on vehicle size and enforcement of driving rules were put in place, we may see some relief from horrible traffic build-up and the run-away accident/fatalities.



I know I try and plan my trips, and make them less frequently than I used to. That's just me trying to do my part.



The rest follow like a herd, and drive faster and more carelessly, especially when the price of gasoline drops.
We will all be driving the latest Ipod, which will have completely coordinated how we listen to music, communicate with others, plan the trip, drive it, parke sensibly, even eat health foods on the road.How will traffic congestion be in 30 years or so?
I live in Chicago too but traffic...no matter how many years we go out will reach a plateau because eventually there will be more of everything you need everywhere. Only so many people will fit in the city, only so many jobs are there, only so many people will need to go. The bigger problem (specific to traffic) is not how bad the traffic in a certain spot is going to be but how far out the traffic spreads. There is now bad traffic in suburbs that were nothing more than farms 10 years ago. Plainfield, IL for example in 1990 had a population of 4,557, now it has 35,000. By 2030 the estimate is 120,000. My point is traffic in 30 years may not be much worse as Chicago at its worst but it will be bad everywhere and you will nee to go further and further to get away from it.
I am going to guess that there will be very little traffic. If you haven't herd fossil fuels are running out at an alarming rate plus global warming is irreversible now, it is in runaway mode. The worlds coast lines will all change in the next 10-20 years. There will be world famine and world economy collapse. So, traffic patterns in 30 years, I wouldn't worry about it...How will traffic congestion be in 30 years or so?
i live in suburb in kl, malaysia. the town faced the same problems too. it is frustrating, wasting time and unbearable. so, my opinion on this problem is a much more efficient public transport, less bureaucratic changes and a committed transport companies. comparing kuala lumpur with bangkok would be like ground to earth. bangkok is also known for it's notorious traffic jams. they are also introducing transit systems. i expect in 30 years time, as fuel will run low, prices will go up. Public transport, whether we prefer it or not will prevail. it is the only mode of transport that seems viable. but, of course, with good operator and comprehensive network linkages.
In less than 30 years I can see people walking everywhere again! Or getting horses or horses and wagons. Seriously. The old ways made more sense. Cheaper to feed and keep up a horse than a car.

And in 30 years China %26amp; India will have even more people and demand even more of the world's concrete, steel, fresh water, cars, etc, so with the shortages we face right now (I waited 6 months for enough concrete for a home repair; there's a 2 year wait for the car I want) I don't think they'll be anything left for the rest of us in 30 years. No tar for road repairs, no concrete for new roads, no steel for over passes, nothing.
There won't be any traffic, just congestion!!!!!
NORMAL because the roads will be improved aswell by then