1995 Click here to view or print this document in PDF format . The Regional Transit Authority Master Plan carries the subtitle Fighting Congestion. This brief examines congestion using traditional tools of economics, drawing examples from the Puget Sound Regional Council's Regional Transportation Model.
Congestion occurs when highway capacity is scarce.
Supply and demand, the economist's traditional tools for evaluating the allocation of scarce resources, clarify the congestion problem. Demand Growth in population has increased the demand for automobile transportation. Population in the central Puget Sound region grew by 82 percent from 1960 to 1990 and is expected to grow a further 50 percent from 1990 to 2020. Other factors combine to further increase the demand for automobile transportation. People choose where to live in order to be close to family and friends, to have access to good schools, and to be near recreational resources.