High Gas Prices = Less Traffic

Mickey Kaus points out that there are some upsides to higher gas prices:

What mass transit couldn't do: $3.50 gas appears to have had one effect: for the time being, it's at least partially solved L.A.'s worsening traffic congestion problem. On Monday I made it from the beach to Eagle Rock in 45 minutes at rush hour--that's normally an hour-and-a-half drive . It won't last--people will grow accustomed to the price and start driving again--and I assume it's hardest on the working poor. But, speaking selfishly, if I had a choice of a) paying $4 a gallon and getting where I want to go in as little time as it took 20 years ago and b) paying $1.50 a gallon but spending twice as much time to get there, it would be a no-brainer. $4 is a bargain! Will a secret base of support for higher gas prices emerge in the suburban upper middle class of previously frustrated drivers?

For those of us who travel on the highways of Southern California, the higher gas prices may be well worth it if it cuts back on the number of cars. My family has annual passes to Disneyland, and Friday night has always been our favorite time to go. However, the last several times we've made that trip - approximately 22 miles - it's taken over 90 minutes in Friday night traffic. It's become such a nuisance that we've pretty much stopped going on Friday.

Sure, that's a recreational activity and is purely voluntary, but for commuters, that kind of traffic mess is a daily event - often both ways to and from work. If gas suddenly dropped back to $1 a gallon, how many commuters would abandon the less convenient mass transportation and return to their cars, thus further jamming up the roads?

If the higher gas prices "thin the herd" a little bit, I'm not sure that would be such a bad thing. I'm going to go wherever I need to go, and the higher prices probably won't slow me down much. I'm sure it's a real problem for some, and maybe I'm blessed, but I can't feel too bad about that since I have no control over the pricing.

I wonder if the overall rate of economic productivity would increase under the higher prices because productive people wouldn't spend so much time staring at taillights?