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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. [2]
However, dynamic elements are now being introduced into road traffic management. Dynamic elements have long been used in rail transport. These include sensors to measure traffic flows and automatic, interconnected, guidance systems to manage traffic (for example, traffic signs which open a lane in different directions depending on the time of day).
VMS systems were deployed at least as early as the 1950s on the New Jersey Turnpike. [3] The road's signs of that period, and up to around 2012, were capable of displaying a few messages in neon, all oriented around warning drivers to slow down: "REDUCE SPEED", followed by a warning of either construction, accident, congestion, ice, snow, or fog at a certain distance ahead. [4]
Sidewalks, curbs and traffic signals in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States Speed limits in different areas; here unusually with only a "recommended" limit (Richtgeschwindigkeit) of 130 km/h on the Autobahn in Germany DRIP [Note 1] variable message sign guiding traffic on the Dutch A13 motorway Vehicles experiencing a breakdown or an emergency can stop in the emergency lane; these lanes may ...
It was announced last month that police would step up the monitoring of key junctions to try to help ease traffic congestion. The move was one of a range of measures announced by the department on ...
Gridlock on a network of two-way streets. The red cars are those causing the gridlock by stopping in the middle of the intersection. Gridlock is a form of traffic congestion where continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill.
Events which disrupt the flow and may cause traffic to degenerate into a disorganized mess include road construction, collisions, and debris in the roadway. On particularly busy freeways, a minor disruption may persist in a phenomenon known as traffic waves. A complete breakdown of organization may result in traffic congestion and gridlock.
Congestion can often throw off any coordination, however. On the other hand, some traffic signals are coordinated to prevent drivers from encountering a long string of green lights. This practice discourages high volumes of traffic by inducing delay yet preventing congestion or to discourage use of a particular road.