Why is traffic so bad in modern cities?
Why is traffic so bad in modern cities?
Most modern cities suffer traffic congestion – and clogged traffic creates pollution thought to kill thousands every year and waste billions in lost productivity (Thinkstock)
What’s the best way to get rid of traffic?
The traditional way to ease congestion has been to build more and wider roads; but this only seems to attract more and more drivers (Thinkstock) This isn’t a new problem, of course. During the car boom of the 1960s, city planners had one seemingly obvious solution: build more and wider roads. But it didn’t work.
Why are there so many traffic jams on the road?
Bottlenecks in the road and the sheer volume of cars are obvious sources. However, some traffic jams appear seemingly spontaneously, maybe caused by the “butterfly effect” of a single driver suddenly switching lanes, which results in cars behind him braking suddenly, with the ripple effect rapidly snarling up the highway.
How can a city ever be traffic jam free?
Some traffic planners are betting on car-pooling lanes, more park-and-ride opportunities, and improved public transport to ease congestion. Several cities have resorted to less subtle methods, like banning cars from driving on certain days, alternating between cars with licence plates that end in, say, even or uneven numbers.
Most modern cities suffer traffic congestion – and clogged traffic creates pollution thought to kill thousands every year and waste billions in lost productivity (Thinkstock)
The traditional way to ease congestion has been to build more and wider roads; but this only seems to attract more and more drivers (Thinkstock) This isn’t a new problem, of course. During the car boom of the 1960s, city planners had one seemingly obvious solution: build more and wider roads. But it didn’t work.
Bottlenecks in the road and the sheer volume of cars are obvious sources. However, some traffic jams appear seemingly spontaneously, maybe caused by the “butterfly effect” of a single driver suddenly switching lanes, which results in cars behind him braking suddenly, with the ripple effect rapidly snarling up the highway.
Some traffic planners are betting on car-pooling lanes, more park-and-ride opportunities, and improved public transport to ease congestion. Several cities have resorted to less subtle methods, like banning cars from driving on certain days, alternating between cars with licence plates that end in, say, even or uneven numbers.
