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, resulting in many of the roads becoming obsolete.[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.
- ^ Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. p. 141.
- ^ 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.
- ^ May, Adolf Darlington (1990). Traffic Flow Fundamentals. Prentice Hall. ISBN 9780139260728. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ Hotelier & Caterer: Official Magazine of FEDHASA. Ramsay Son & Parker. July 1993. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "TAILBACK". Cambridge Dictionary.