The idea of declining road congestion by constructing more roads is a matter of debate during these days. It may provide short-term relief from traffic jams on the contrary relying on this solution solely is inadequate and can lead to long-term adverse consequences.
Expanding roads might help to minimize the congestion on the roads temporarily on the contrary eventually it can introduce to what we call induced demand. People may likely to start using more personal vehicles in order of their convenience as the result of increment in the capacity of roads to accommodate more vehicles. Thus, traffic problem tend to reappear.
Secondly, Increasing roads may have detrimental consequences for the environment. As road construction needs to acquire more land therefore the destruction of natural habitats and other green spaces may occur which can lead to global warming. Apart from this, more roads can accommodate more vehicles which contribute to air and noise pollution cause climate change and incline in respiratory, auditory and serious health concerns.
Therefore, a more holistic approach is needed to overcome the problem of traffic congestion such as introducing mixed land use consequently that people do not need to make long commutes for their work or other daily basis needs. Improvement in public transportation system, promoting ride sharing and carpooling are the other options that can support to reduce traffic on the roads. These combinations of measures can help to minimize this problem to a great extent.
To summarize, constructing more roads can support to reduce traffic congestion for short period of time on the contrary is not a permanent solution rather it can cause more traffic in future hence has adverse environmental consequences. Therefore, a more holistic approach is needed such as improvement in public transport system and mixed use of land by building both commercial and residential buildings in a zone.