Traffic congestion

A traffic jam in Istanbul, and an opportunity for two simit vendors to sell food to drivers

Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s.[1] When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction between vehicles slows the traffic stream, this results in congestion. While congestion is a possibility for any mode of transportation, this article will focus on automobile congestion on public roads.

As demand approaches the capacity of a road (or of the intersections along the road), extreme traffic congestion sets in. When vehicles are fully stopped for periods of time, this is known as a traffic jam[2][3] or (informally) a traffic snarl-up[4][5] or a tailback.[6]

Drivers can become frustrated and engage in road rage. Drivers and driver-focused road planning departments commonly propose to alleviate congestion by adding another lane to the road. This is ineffective: increasing road capacity induces more demand for driving.

Mathematically, traffic is modeled as a flow through a fixed point on the route, analogously to fluid dynamics.

  1. ^ Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. p. 141.
  2. ^ Treiber, Martin; Kesting, Arne (October 11, 2012). Traffic Flow Dynamics: Data, Models and Simulation. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-3-642-32459-8. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  3. ^ May, Adolf Darlington (1990). Traffic Flow Fundamentals. Prentice Hall. ISBN 9780139260728. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  4. ^ Hotelier & Caterer: Official Magazine of FEDHASA. Ramsay Son & Parker. July 1993. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Eve: The Essence of Africa's New Woman. Oakland Media Services Limited. 2004. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "TAILBACK". Cambridge Dictionary.

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