Housing Can Solve Traffic

Marinites hate traffic. They worry that additional housing will bring more traffic. We hold an underlying assumption that traffic congestion is primarily caused by population size. It’s not. Some of the worst traffic in Marin is in and out of Mill Valley (pop 14,000) and Tiburon (pop 9,000). These are small communities.

Our population of 260,000 has barely budged since the 80’s, yet traffic is much worse. Meanwhile, Seattle’s population grew 20% to 730,400 while traffic decreased 20%.

So what’s happening?
The number of people driving is only one factor behind traffic. Here is a
better mental model for traffic (from Strongtowns.org)

Seattle reduced traffic while growing population by building housing
near jobs, improving transit and improving bike infrastructure. We can
do the same.

Marin has built very little housing over the last 40 years, resulting in very high housing costs. The workforce has been pushed out of the County, forcing workers to drive greater distances, creating more traffic.

Transit options are poor. School buses have been cut. A car is a necessity for daily life in Marin. All these factors, plus increased driving in general (higher incomes generate more meals out, more home renovations, more personal services, etc.) have made our traffic worse. We can actually reduce traffic in Marin by building new housing near workplaces and schools. Higher density will support better transit options, including bikes and ferries, which will reduce traffic further.