Abstract for: Structural policies to address induced travel demand by road construction

Nowadays in developed countries road construction is no longer an exclusive policy to reduce congestion because evidence has been found of how new roads enhance car use. This phenomenon is known as induced travel demand (ITD) in which new roads induce increases in the number of kilometers traveled by vehicles. However, in spite of available evidence about ITD we have not found works that discuss ITD in urban contexts of some Latin American (LA) countries wherein road construction is still used to reduce traffic congestion. This suggests that although ITD has already been studied and debated abroad, there has not been a full appropriation of this knowledge at the LA level. In this paper we want to provide policy insights of the dynamic effects of public transport and congestion pricing, two mobility policies widely discussed in LA countries, on ITD within urban contexts where road construction is still necessary to guarantee connectivity. These insights are based on a system dynamics model whose feedback untangles the structural complexity underlying ITD and allows evaluating the effects of above-mentioned policies on it. The model proposed can be conceived as useful simulation tool that can support decision-making processes that LA policy makers could face.