Fall of the Dutch

[kandrathe]

Travel time reliability is significantly different than the raw travel time itself, and has actually been shown to correlate with GDP. A roadway that is completely congested all the time will actually outperform lightly used roadways in that regard - it's moving a 5 mph every day, not just when there's an accident.

Yes, I can see that reliability would be key. Around our cities in the US you find that truckers intentionally take their breaks during rush hour to avoid wasting their time(nerves) in congestion. Although, if traffic moves predictably at 5mph, then beyond a certain range, the time and money spent commuting may not make employment at some places feasible. For commerce, it would make the costs of transport by that road prohibitive.