In addition to the loss of valuable time and money, traffic congestion causes many serious health and safety problems. Cars idling in traffic create more air pollution than moving cars. Ground-level ozone, primarily from cars and trucks, causes numerous health problems such as coughing, chest pain, and nausea. It also worsens more serious illnesses such as bronchitis, heart disease, and asthma. Asthma is on the rise, with over 35,000 children suffering from asthma in New Mexico.
Carbon monoxide is a poison that starves the body of oxygen.
Increased traffic congestion worsens our air problems, increasing the chances of violating federal standards once again. This adversely affects the general health of our community. Traffic also causes more motor vehicle accidents and increases the level of stress among drivers. Research in other cities has shown that expanding road capacity does not alleviate traffic, and actually increases traffic problems. Along with reviewing other studies from other states in this report, we examine several examples of road projects in the Albuquerque metropolitan area and demonstrate how they have not alleviated our traffic problems.