Traffic congestion is one of the challenges that is faced by major cities across the world. Citizens are forced to spend hours in traffic, and this leads to the loss of billions. Furthermore, the problem has other profound effects on cities including increased air pollution, anxiety, stress, and road rage.  Urban transport planners face the challenge of accommodating the rise in population and the increase in the number of vehicles across the cities. One of the main challenges facing New York City is congestion. The town is considered to be the third most traffic congested city in the world. Residents are forced to spend hours in traffic, and the problem leads to billions of losses. Therefore, traffic congestion is one of the main wicked urban problem facing New York City.

Background of the Problem

Traffic congestion has been a challenge to New York City for decades. The policy-makers have formulated numerous laws to curb the problem none has provided a sustainable solution to the problem. Mayor John Lindsay is considered to be one of the politicians who tried to control traffic congestion in the city. In 1973, the mayor approved a plan meant to bring New York City into compliance with the federal Clean Air Act (Berger, 2017). The plan was to reduce air pollution in the city by curbing motor vehicle traffic and raising money for the failing transport system. The city imposed a 50 cent tolls on the East and Harlem River bridges. The plan faced opposition from the taxi and truck operators. The law led to numerous legal tussles, and in 1977, the Senate amended the federal Clean Air Act to allow New York City residents to forgo the tolls.  In 1980, the city introduced a traffic regulation to charge people in driver-only cars. The law further countered opposition from the city dwellers (Schaller, 2010). Though the City Council approved it, the parking garage industry and the Automobile Club of New York sued to stop the implementation of the policy (Berger, 2017). The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, and the legislation declared null and void because the City Council did not have the authority to toll the bridges. Some experts believe that the problem of traffic congestion in New York City is a result of court decisions and politicians who have been against the implementation of the tolls to deter people from air pollution caused by traffic congestion.

The debate on imposing a congestion charge on New Yorkers as a means to control the traffic congestion in the city continues to exist. In 2008, the governor had proposed imposing a fee on vehicles entering Manhattan’s central business district (Schaller, 2010). The charge was meant to fund the city’s faltering subway system. However, the policy continues to face opposition from different stakeholders in the city. Moreover, there was a similar proposal in 2008, and it failed (Berger, 2017). The resistance delays the progress because people do not propose new ways of curbing the problem.

The causes of traffic congestion in New York is similar to those affecting other cities across the world. A growing population is one of the significant challenges that lead to traffic congestion. The other cause of the problem is the booming economy that has made more residents able to afford cars. This challenge leads individuals to avoid the public transport system leading to an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads (Schaller, 2010). The other reason for the increasing traffic congestion is an increase in the bike and bus lanes that reduces space for cars. The roads become narrower and unable to accommodate more cars thus leading to slow movement of the vehicles (Berger, 2017). Advancement in technology and increased use of app-based rides services further leads to a traffic jam in the city. People are avoiding to use buses and embracing taxis. The situation has led to a rapid increase in the number of taxis and vehicles for hire in the city (Berger, 2017).  Traffic jam in New York City has been in existence for ages, and it continues to grow because of an increase in population, booming economy, advancement in technology, and political resistance in curbing the situation.

Why is Traffic Congestion in New York a Wicked Urban Problem?

Traffic congestion is considered to be a wicked urban problem because it interconnected with other issues. For example, increase in travel demand is a result of population growth, booming economy, and changing demographics. Additionally, the proposed solution to the problem is imposing a fee on the road users. However, most people in the city are not always willing to pay. Organizations have moved to court to oppose the charges imposed on citizens by the state because they believe it is unfair (Goodspeed, 2014). These examples illustrate the complex nature of traffic jam. Furthermore, it is difficult to define the problem because it varies from one city to another. Therefore, there is no one specific solution to the problem.

The causes of traffic jam are uncertain because one solution to the problem leads to other challenges. Moreover, the world is dynamic, and the advancement in technology continue to create problems in the transport sector. New York City has had numerous legislation and proposal that require the state to impose traffic fees on its citizens. The policies have met resistance from different stakeholders in the city (Goodspeed, 2014). The organization have moved to court and successfully opposed the laws because they are considered to be unfair to the locals. Additionally, the authorities have suggested the construction of motorways and railway lines to curb the traffic congestion in major towns. They have found it to be expensive and difficult to implement.

Moreover, the suggestion has failed to work in some countries. Having failed in the same countries shows that the problem has no obvious solution because of the numerous factors that contribute to the challenge (Goodspeed, 2014). Solving traffic jam does not necessarily provide answers to the complex underlying issues affecting the transport sector.

Conflicts of Public and Private Sector

The process of reducing the traffic jam is derailed by the existing conflict between the private and public sectors. The state of New York has proposed numerous solution to the challenge, but the private sector has opposed most of the policies. The conflict between the two sectors has resulted in multiple court battles that hinder the progress (Schaller, 2010). In New York City, imposing fees on road users has been opposed by the automobile associations, taxi owners, and private citizens. This resistance makes it difficult for the government to control the rate of congestion in the city. The animosity between the County Council, state, and the private sectors dates back to 1973 when the National Resources Defense Council sued New York City to stop their plan of enforcing the federal Clean Air (Berger, 2017). In 1980, the Automobile Club of New York went to court to oppose the new law that was meant to charge individuals in driver-only cars. Therefore, the private and public sectors have always conflicted with any legislation aimed at reducing traffic congestion.

Traffic congestion is considered to be a wicked problem because it is a complex problem which is difficult to define, does not have an obvious solution, and causes of the challenge are uncertain. New York City is mostly affected by traffic jams. New Yorkers loss billions every year due to delays caused by congestion. The state has proposed numerous solutions to the menace, but they have been met by resistance from private organizations. The conflict has led to numerous court battles that have derailed the progress of curbing traffic jam

References

Berger, P. (2017). Cities Look to New York to Lead the Way on Traffic Congestion. The Wall Street Journal, 27 March 2017. Retrieved from www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-debates-congestion-pricing-as-other-cities-watch-1522143000. Accessed 21 Jan 2019.

Goodspeed, R. (2014). Smart cities: moving beyond urban cybernetics to tackle wicked problems. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy, and Society, 8(1), 79-92.

Schaller, B. (2010). New York City’s congestion pricing experience and implications for road pricing acceptance in the United States. Transport Policy, 17(4), 266-273.

 
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