Reducing morning traffic congestion is just one of many ideas that will be discussed Friday at the Texas Lyceum conference in Austin. The non-profit, non-partisan statewide group is hosting a summit on transportation.
Among the featured speakers is Dennis Christiansen. He’s director of the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. Christiansen says more roads aren’t the only answer.
“Historically we have always planned that we could build enough infrastructure to accommodate the demand, and going forward into the 21st Century, that simply is not scalable," he said. "You’re going to have to operate the system better. You’re going to have to manage demand better. And the key to being able to do that is new technology.”
As examples, Christian points to smart maps that re-route you around traffic jams, buses that recharge by driving over roads with electrical conductors, or even self-driving cars like the one being developed by Google.
The Lyceum Conference runs from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Hilton Austin. But it isn't free. Registration ranges from $50 to $200.
