"Very little driving is frivolous."

"Residents of U.S. urban areas can reach far more jobs in a 20-minute auto drive than a 60-minute trip [by public transport]. The latest data for 2021 reveal that the number of jobs reachable by [public transport] or bicycle was about 9 percent greater in 2021 than 2019, but the number reachable by a 20-minute auto drive was 66 percent greater. ... Of course, jobs are only one possible set of destinations that became more accessible; other social and economic opportunities also became equally more accessible
    "Very little driving is frivolous. Instead, most of it is people trying to get to work, school, shopping, health care, friends and relatives, or recreation activities. Then there are trucks moving freight, bringing construction materials and services to work sites, and so forth. Anything that results in more such travel is a good thing because it means more economic activity, more income for people, and more access to better housing, lower-cost consumer goods, and other benefits. The sign of failure is if the new road capacity isn’t used, not if it is."

~ The Antiplanner, from his post 'The Benefits of Congestion Relief'