Ep. 7 - A DOGE Alternative: "DOTE" - Department of Traffic Efficiency

🚗 Traffic is NOT a Space Problem—It's a Behavior Problem!

Governments have spent billions expanding freeways, adding new lanes, and launching massive infrastructure projects—all in the name of reducing congestion. Yet, traffic is just as bad (or worse) in major cities. Why? Because the real problem isn’t road capacity—it’s how we drive.

In this episode of Mastering the Commute, I introduce DOTE—The Department of Traffic Efficiency (not a real agency, but one that SHOULD exist). We’ll break down why freeway expansions don’t work, how simple driving habits can make the biggest impact, and what we can do as drivers to create real change—starting today.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why adding lanes actually makes congestion worse (Houston’s 23-lane freeway proves it)
✅ The science of Induced Demand—more roads = more traffic
✅ Lessons from other countries that actually reduced congestion (Singapore, Sweden, The Netherlands)
✅ The 4 key principles of DOTE that improve traffic instantly:
✔️ Constant Speed Driving – Less braking, smoother flow
✔️ Smarter Merging – Late merging works when done right
✔️ Choosing the Right Lane – The left lane is NOT for cruising
✔️ Driving with Awareness – Plan ahead and anticipate slowdowns
✅ How a mass movement of smarter drivers could fix traffic—without a single dollar spent on new roads

🚦 What’s your biggest traffic frustration? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on social media!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Cold Intro - Government Spending and DOGE
• 0:48 Introduction - The Infrastructure Illusion
• 1:06 The Absurdity of Adding More Freeway Lanes
• 1:56 Extreme Examples of Useless Spending
• 2:57 What Works Outside of the USA
• 3:53 My "DOTE" Plan: 4 Small Steps for Big Impact
• 4:51 One Million Smart Drivers
• 5:14 Summary: Your Contribution to Road Efficiency
• 5:27 Closing and Invite for Feedback
• 5:44 Episode 8 Promo: "10 and 2" is a Bad Idea

Transcript

Episode 7: DOTE – Fixing Traffic Without Expanding Freeways

(The Real Way to Improve Traffic – No Billion-Dollar Projects Required)

Introduction 

[Intro Music Fades In]

[:00 Cold Intro] “Let’s say you had unlimited money to fix traffic. What would you do?

Would you build more lanes? Maybe invest in better public transit? What about adding more signs to tell people what to do and where to go?

Well, governments have been trying all of those things for decades—and guess what? Traffic is still just as bad, if not worse, in many places.

So today, we’re breaking down a different way to fix traffic—not with bigger budgets, but with better habits.

While it remains timely, I call it DOTE … The Department of Traffic Efficiency—. It’s not a real government agency, but it should be.

[:35] Beacuse today, we’re going to break down:

• Why adding lanes doesn’t solve traffic (and often makes it worse)

• How small driving habits have a bigger impact than billion-dollar projects

• And why the real solution isn’t about infrastructure—it’s about you, me, and how we drive every day

{:41 Intro Bumper]

[:48] 

Welcome back to MTC, I’m Randy Keith

[1:01] Today we’re talking about “The Infrastructure Illusion: Why More Roads Won’t Fix Traffic”

[1:06] Key Point 1: The Absurdity of More Lanes - 🚧 Houston’s 23-Lane Freeway

• The Katy Freeway in Houston is the widest in the world, at 23 lanes.

• It cost billions to expand, yet still experiences some of the worst congestion in the country.

Key Point 1: 

Here’s Why Buildling and Expanding Roads Won’t Solve Congestion (1:30 - 7:00)

🚦 More Lanes = More Problems

• The concept is called Induced Demand—when you build more capacity, more people use it, and traffic returns to its miserable state (“build it and they will come”.

• More lanes mean more merging, which means more braking, which means more phantom jams (remember Episode 2?).

• Instead of spreading out, traffic waves still happen—the road just fills up again, and eventually always has to merge at interchanges, something I covered in Episode 3 on Freeway Personalities

• Wider roads encourage faster, more aggressive driving—leading to more accidents.

[1:56]🛣 Extreme Examples of Road Spending

• Boston’s Big Dig: Originally budgeted at $2.8 billion, ballooned to $14.6 billion—and still didn’t fix congestion.

• Atlanta’s “Extra Lane” Plan: Added more lanes to I-285, only for travel times to increase due to aggressive merging issues.

• Los Angeles: The 405 expansion cost $1.6 billion and barely improved travel times.

[2:57] • Global Comparison: London, Tokyo, and Paris have all faced similar issues. Despite heavy investment in road expansion, congestion remains a major problem.

• The Fundamental Flaw: We treat traffic as a space problem instead of a behavior problem.

[3:11 stinger]

Key Point 2: What Countries Have Tried That Actually Works (7:00 - 13:00)

• Singapore: Road pricing models (charging for peak-hour road use) led to better traffic flow.

• Sweden: Shifted investment from roads to traffic management systems—AI-based signals, congestion pricing, and incentivizing smart driving.

• The Netherlands: Invested in better highway merging systems rather than more lanes, improving efficiency with less cost.

👉 The overall takeaway? Infrastructure alone won’t fix this. The real fix starts with us—drivers.

[3:53 Transition Sound Effect]

Key Point 2: The DOTE Plan – Small Actions, Big Impact 

🚗 The Core Principles of DOTE 

1️⃣ Constant Speed Driving

• Less braking = smoother traffic flow

• If even 10% of drivers stopped unnecessary braking, traffic could improve by up to 30%.

2️⃣ Merging Smarter 

• Merging late works better—we just need to use it properly.

• Jumping in early actually reduces efficiency because it disrupts lane balance.

3️⃣ Choosing the Correct Lane (A callback to last episode!)

• If you’re cruising under the speed limit in the left lane—move over.

• Lane discipline = fewer lane changes = fewer slowdowns.

4️⃣ Thinking Ahead (a.k.a. Driving with Your Brain, Not Just Your Feet)

• Pay attention to on-ramps and bottlenecks before you reach them.

• A simple lift off the gas 10 seconds earlier can reduce traffic shockwaves behind you.

[4:51] 🏁 The Goal? A Mass Movement of Smarter Drivers - and that really is what this podcast is all about. 

• Imagine if a million people started driving efficiently overnight.

• No new roads. No construction. Just a massive, instant improvement.

• Sounds like a fantasy? It’s not—traffic efficiency is contagious, just like road rage. You just have to make a conscious choice..

[5:14 Stinger / Final Thought & Call to Action]

<“So here’s the challenge: We don’t need billion-dollar projects to fix traffic. We don’t need another round of freeway expansions that won’t work.

What we do need is a new way of thinking. And it starts with you.>

So next time you hit the road, try this:

✅ Keep a steady speed instead of reacting to every little slowdown.

✅ Merge efficiently instead of jumping into gaps at the last second.

✅ Think about how your driving affects everyone behind you.

[5:27 stinger] 💬 What’s your biggest traffic frustration?

Hit me up at DriveSmarterNow.com, or send me a message on social media.

<"Instead of just hoping for another freeway expansion or relying on more government spending.,, what if we focused on what actually works? Smart driving, efficient merging, and lane discipline could make a bigger impact than any billion-dollar project. If you’re with me, you’re already a member of DOTE. Welcome aboard.

🚗💨 DOTE: Because if the government won’t fix traffic, we’ll do it ourselves.>

[5:44 - Closer] Next episode, we’re breaking down one of the biggest myths in driving: '10 and 2.' You’ve heard it since high school—‘keep your hands at 10 and 2

<We’ll talk about how hand placement affects your reaction time, and why small steering adjustments lead to a smoother, safer drive.>

 Until then   

Drive safe, Drive Smart, 

Lead by example take these tips to heart

Pay attention, read the signs 

Make the road better, one drive at a time.