“In the 50s the mentality around roads was that they existed for one purpose and that was to move as many cars as you could as fast as you could,” the new U.S. transport secretary has told a conference. Pete Buttigieg stressed that one of his priorities will be to halt and reverse that mentality .

“One thing that I don’t think a lot of Americans are aware of is how far behind we are on bicycle and pedestrian safety,” said Buttigieg who was appointed as President Biden’s transport secretary early last month.

“Other developed countries are safer to walk or bike on than American streets,” he added, intimating he would change that.

No doubt Buttigieg will, at some point in the near future, remind cities and highway planners that building more and wider roads does not reduce congestion, it increases it.

Elsewhere in Texas, Houston’s Katy Freeway was expanded to 26 lanes between 2008 and 2011 at a cost of $2.8 billion in order to alleviate severe traffic congestion. The expansion did not alleviate traffic congestion, it made it worse. Travel times increased by 30% during the morning commute and 55% during the evening commute between 2011 and 2014.

Buttigieg is also in favor of investing in high speed rail, pointing out that Japan and China are far in advance of America on such efficient transport modes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2021/03/22/design-for-human-beings-not-cars-new-us-transport-secretary-says/