1.

inherent
existing as an essential constituent or characteristic

Peak-hour traffic congestion is an inherent result of the way modern societies operate.

2. inevitably
in such a manner as could not be otherwise

It stems from the widespread desires of people to pursue certain goals thatinevitably overload
existing roads and transit systems every day.

3. commute
a regular journey to and from your place of work

Governments can charge people money to enter all the lanes on majorcommuting roads during
peak hours.

4. curb
the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess

Although governments may never be able to eliminate road congestion, there are several ways
cities and states can move to curb it.

5. toll
a fee levied for the use of roads or bridges

Charging peak-hour tolls.

6. exacerbate
make worse

By pushing people back to their cars again they only exacerbate the congestion problem.
7. proponent
a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea

Transportation economists have long been proponents of this tactic, but most Americans reject
this solution politically for two reasons.

8. subsidize
support through government grants

Tolls would favor wealthier or subsidized drivers and harm poor ones, so most Americans would
resent them, partly because they believe they would be at a disadvantage.

9. fare
the sum charged for riding in a public conveyance

Increasing fare prices, especially on the trains, make driving a car with its associated high fuel
costs cheaper than public transport.

10. gross
lacking fine distinctions or detail

Those roads would then be grossly underutilized during non-peak hours.

11. loom
a textile machine for weaving yarn into a textile

Councils and national governments fail to act on the looming threat of heavy congestion until it
happens.

12. resent
feel bitter or indignant about
Tolls would favor wealthier or subsidized drivers and harm poor ones, so most Americans
would resent them, partly because they believe they would be at a disadvantage.

13. spite
meanness or nastiness

But everyone hates traffic congestion, and it keeps getting worse, in spite of attempted remedies.

14. affect
have an influence upon

Limited road-pricing schemes that have been adopted in Singapore, Norway, and London
only affect congestion in crowded downtowns, which is not the kind of congestion on major
arteries that most Americans experience.

15. basic
reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible

Traffic congestion is not primarily a problem, but rather the solution to ourbasic mobility problem,
which is that too many people want to move at the same times each day.

16. sole
the underside of the foot

This is the sole viable option.

17. settlement
the act of colonizing; the establishment of colonies

Peak-hour congestion is the balancing mechanism that makes it possible for Americans to pursue
other goals they value, including working or sending their children to school at the same time as
their peers, living in low-density settlements, and having a wide choice of places to live and
work.
18. viable
capable of life or normal growth and development

This is the sole viable option.

19. artery
a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body

Limited road-pricing schemes that have been adopted in Singapore, Norway, and London only
affect congestion in crowded downtowns, which is not the kind of congestion on
major arteries that most Americans experience.

20. adhere
stick to firmly

By adhering to the traditional 9-5 routines, there’s a greater chance of congestion.

21. stem
cylinder forming a long narrow part of something

It stems from the widespread desires of people to pursue certain goals that inevitably overload
existing roads and transit systems every day.

22. collected
brought together in one place

If tolls were set high enough and collected electronically with “smart cards,” the number of vehicles
on each major road during peak hours could be reduced enough so that vehicles could move at
high speeds.

23. especial
surpassing what is common or usual or expected
Increasing fare prices, especially on the trains, make driving a car with its associated high fuel costs
cheaper than public transport.

24. automotive
containing within itself the means of propulsion or movement

In the United States, the vast majority of people seeking to move during rush hours use
private automotive vehicles, for two reasons.

25. commuter
someone who travels regularly from home to work in a city

Commuters are often frustrated by policymakers’ inability to do anything about the problem, which
poses a significant public policy challenge.

26. feasible
capable of being done with means at hand

The only feasible way to accommodate excess demand for roads during peak periods is to have
people wait in line.

27. accommodate
have room for; hold without crowding

The only feasible way to accommodate excess demand for roads during peak periods is to have
people wait in line.

28. dense
having high compaction or concentration

A major reason is that most transit commuting is concentrated in a few large, densely settled
regions with extensive fixed-rail transit systems.

29. advocate
 a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea

For both these reasons, few politicians in our democracy—and so far, anywhere else in the
world— advocate this tactic.

30. throughout
from first to last

That means traffic congestion, which is an absolutely essential mechanism for American regions—
and most other metropolitan regions throughoutthe world—to cope with excess demands for
road space during peak hours each day.

31. reside
live in

One is that most Americans reside in low-density areas that public transit cannot efficiently serve.

32. condition
a mode of being or form of existence of a person or thing

Rising traffic congestion is an inescapable condition in large and growing metropolitan areas
across the world, from Los Angeles to Tokyo, from Cairo to Sao Paolo.

33. account
a record or narrative description of past events

The nine U.S. metropolitan areas with the most daily transit commuters, when taken
together, account for 61 percent of all U.S. transit commuting, though they contain only 17
percent of the total population.

34. might
physical strength
A single street with a lane on each side before might not suffice in ten years after the population
has increased.

35. prohibitive
tending to discourage, especially of prices

But this “cure” is totally impractical and prohibitively expensive.

36. congested
overfull as with blood

That would allow more people to travel per lane per hour than under current,
heavily congested conditions.

37. tram
a vehicle that runs on rails and is propelled by electricity

If there isn’t enough buses, trams, or local trains people are forced to take their cars to work.

38. slab
block consisting of a thick piece of something

Governments would have to widen all major commuting roads by demolishing millions of buildings,
cutting down trees, and turning most of every metropolitan region into a giant concrete slab.

39. cope
come to terms with

There are four ways any region can try to cope with the mobility challenge.

40. suffice
be adequate, either in quality or quantity
A single street with a lane on each side before might not suffice in ten years after the population
has increased.

41. impractical
not workable

But three of them are politically impractical or physically and financially impossible in the United
States.

42. congestion
excessive crowding

Rising traffic congestion is an inescapable condition in large and growing metropolitan areas
across the world, from Los Angeles to Tokyo, from Cairo to Sao Paolo.

43. behalf
as the agent of or on someone's part

The main reasons why traffic congestion occurs are more cars, poor road management, and poor
practices on behalf of employers.

44. traffic
things coming and going in a particular locality

Rising traffic congestion is an inescapable condition in large and growing metropolitan areas
across the world, from Los Angeles to Tokyo, from Cairo to Sao Paolo.

45. pose
assume a bearing as for artistic purposes

Commuters are often frustrated by policymakers’ inability to do anything about the problem,
which poses a significant public policy challenge.

46. invest
 lay out money or resources in an enterprise

If they invested in more affordable public transport options and a better infrastructure the incidence
of congestion would decrease in major cities.

47. policy
a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group

Commuters are often frustrated by policymakers’ inability to do anything about the problem, which
poses a significant public policy challenge.

48. cause
events that provide the generative force of something

A lack of public transport, or poor public transport options, will also causeproblems.

49. mean
denote or connote

That means traffic congestion, which is an absolutely essential mechanism for American regions—
and most other metropolitan regions throughout the world—to cope with excess demands for
road space during peak hours each day.

50. primarily
for the most part

Traffic congestion is not primarily a problem, but rather the solution to our basic mobility problem,
which is that too many people want to move at the same times each day.