Different regions have dramatically different average commute times which don't directly correlate with population. Thus disproving your point.

Insufficient roads, poor zoning, etc all add up into a complex whole. But, roads reduce the value of some peoples property which is why you get such strong opposition.

PS: Importantly, congestion has a cost not just for the average commute but the number of hours in the day that are congested.

> Different regions have dramatically different average commute times which don't directly correlate with population. Thus disproving your point.

Average commute time is not the desired metric here, see Duranton and Turner[1].

[1]: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Economics/Faculty/Matthew_T...

Road miles driven has utility, but there feedback effects which make it a poor long term measure. Duranton and Turner have a biased view of the situation as which does not map to economic, social, or even environmental utility.

> building new roads just allows people drive more.

Not only that: it allows more people to drive.

I'm not the first to say this: people will choose to drive into congested agglomeration as long as the alternative (public transport) yields a longer door-to-door time.