DuPage County is an attractive place to live and work, as evidenced by continued growth in jobs and population. One of the drawbacks to such growth, however, is more traffic, which means more congestion, increased wear and tear on the roads, more air pollution, and a greater potential for accidents.

Growth in the number of registered vehicles in DuPage County has outpaced population growth over the past four decades, and vehicle miles traveled, work-related trips, and commute times have all increased for DuPage residents. But people are not using their cars only for work; in fact, even during peak morning and evening travel times, only about 40 to 50 percent of the cars on the roads are commuters heading to or returning from work. Increasingly, cars are being used for short trips to stores, schools, sports practices or other activities, or to conduct errands. Since research has shown that automobile trips less than 3 miles are ideal candidates for diversion to non-motorized transportation modes like walking and bicycling. Efforts should be increased to expand opportunities for pedestrians and bicyclist to safely make shorter trips without using their cars.

DuPage County has expanded roads to accommodate increased traffic, but at some point, roadway expansion becomes prohibitively expensive. Public transportation offers another solution to the congestion problem. Many residents already ride Metra trains to work, or take Pace buses to get to the trains, but use of public transportation for non-work related trips is less common. In part, this is due to the fact that not all parts of the county are well-served by bus lines. Adding new bus routes, innovative services, and exploring ways to provide better and more flexible transportation for the elderly, the physically impaired, and other individuals with mobility concerns might help alleviate some congestion. In addition, residents should be encouraged to organize their trips more effectively and consider carpooling options.