A groundbreaking new study found that the surge in SUVs from 1995 to 2019 reduced Minnesota's highway lane capacity by 9.5%.
Less lane capacity --> More congestion
Me, in CityLab 🧵
Less lane capacity --> More congestion
Me, in CityLab 🧵
Comments
Also, our current driver's licenses
are way too easy to get and keep, as it is
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_demand
In other words, if you make it easy/hard to choose the least effective MoT, people tend to do so/not
But this article focuses on how the arguably worst urban MoT has been made even worse/even less effective(and not as much on how it's been induced,right?)
In recent decades SUVs in particular have surged in popularity.
🔹 SUVs are longer than sedans
🔹 SUVs need more time to brake, so their drivers allow space w/car ahead
🔹 Drivers behind an SUV allow more space so their vision isn't obstructed
They literally can't fit
But bike lanes
They found that SUV growth reduced avg throughput (vehicles/lane/hour) by 9.5%.
In other words, it took fewer vehicles to create a traffic jam.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23249935.2025.2477817
Others include:
▪️ More crash deaths
▪️ More emissions
▪️ Fewer on-street parking spots
So next time you're stuck in traffic, think of all the SUVs -- and the regulators who have doing nothing to curb their expansion.
I greatly prefer my sedan. It’s not close.