MAXIMUM POTENTIAL ENERGY SAVINGS RESULTING FROM A CESSATION OF FEDERAL AID TO URBAN HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION

Evidence indicates that a cessation of federal capital assistance to urban highway construction would not contribute significantly to the conservation of energy used for urban highway travel. The effect of such a policy would be weakened by four factors: (a) Additional facilities built with federal grants would not significantly affect highway capacity; (b) federal grants have not been as effective in stimulating urban highway construciton as their matching requirements would suggest; (c) off-peak travel, which constitutes most of the total urban vehicle kilometers of travel, would not be significantly affected; and (d) increased congestion would reduce vehicle operating efficiency and thus increase energy consumption. Direct actions to reduce the demand for vehicle travel in metropolitan areas and to improve the fuel efficiency of automobiles will be much more effective than indirect programs such as attempts to restrict highway capacity. /Author/