The real factors for congestion are increased freight movement, construction activity and tourism, population and job growth.

Op-ed by Liya Palagashvili @ NYTimes.com, Aug. 2

Ms. Palagashvili is an economics professor at State University of New York-Purchase.

Are ride-sharing and -hailing services like Uber and Lyft causing road congestion? This has been the perception in cities across the country, and the companies have come under fire for it. In New York City, it has led to a proposal to curb, for a year, for-hire-vehicle companies from adding new driver's licenses (except for wheelchair-accessible vehicles).

Will proposals to limit ride hailing succeed at reducing road congestion? In New York, the answer can be found in a report by the mayor’s office. This $2 million study was conducted by McKinsey and other consultants to investigate whether ride-hailing companies have worsened traffic in the city.

From 2009 (before ride hailing) through 2015, the study finds that reductions in vehicular speeds began long before ride hailing hit the stage, and the pattern did not change after ride hailing. The primary factors of reductions in vehicular speed, according to the study, are increased freight movement, construction activity and tourism, population and job growth.

In short, ride hailing is not responsible for greater road congestion.

From 2009 to 2015, pedestrian growth in Manhattan’s central business district grew by about 18 to 24 percent. This slows cars down; at turns, they have to wait for crossing pedestrians. Furthermore, last year, New York City set a record of hosting almost 63 million tourists — a nearly 30 percent increase from 2010 [....]