New road construction

Summary

Road construction have apparently simple aims of providing access to areas previously inaccessible by motor vehicle, reducing traffic volume in one area by moving it to another, or of increasing capacity.  Yet each of these aims can result from many, complex motivations.  Road construction is prominently promoted as a facilitator of economic growth, however evidence to support a causal relationship between new roads and economic benefit is very contested. There is some evidence that road building induces increases in motor traffic and this is associated with problems of poor air quality, higher carbon emissions, reduced safety, severance for vulnerable road users and congestion. Conversely, there is evidence that new roads which bypass sensitive areas can improve safety and the environment; however, increases in traffic can offset these benefits.