Transport Planning And Grids

[viper189280 0]

As most new players get into SC4, they use the infamous grid traffic/zone layouts. I myself fell victim to this, but having played for quite some time, I have made numerous attempts to make more realistic networks like I've seen throughout the forums, only to fall back to grid layouts. Any tips on how I can get out of this gridlock?

Part 2:

Would you guys recommend placing my mass transit before the city builds up or after I need it? It seems like if I try to plan ahead, then it is never used to its planned capacity, but if I wait, I end up destroying some of my most lucrative buildings just to place a sub station or some track of some kind. Highways are another story too. I try to reduce commute time by using highways, but they seem to just be expensive sidewalks, since they're never used. How can I promote the use of a highway, or how could I lay one down in a busy area of town without destroying half of the development while still having it get used? Like I said, I've been playing for a while now so I use tools like the NAM, but still have problems getting anything other than basic roads used to capacity.

[Lucario Boricua 7,026]

Both problems are solved with the following: Road Hierarchy and dendritic networks

What does this mean?

With the road hierarchy, you'd be making a network in which the road types are set up to concentrate traffic on the bigger networks (in this case, the highways, mass transit and perhaps the avenues). To do this, you have to minimize the connectivity of different areas of the roads with lower hierarchy (in this case the streets and roads). Make sure that you avoid street grids, that streets only intersect each other as well as roads (little to no avenue intersections), make sure that your roads and avenues connect with the highways, and make sure the only intercity connections are highways and some occasional avenues. This set-up makes for the only viable options for driving to be the major thoroughfares, unless mass transit is provided.

Regarding mass transit, you have to place the buildings and routes in such ways that they'd be able to win against the road traffic. For instance, create small transport hubs. Place the following next to each other:

- Parking lot

- Mass transit (elevated rail, subway, monorail, bus) stations/stops

Make sure these hubs are located near the entrance of your highways, in such a way that the Sims have to choose either.

Since you have the NAM, make sure to use the diagonal streets--try finding maps of areas with modern suburbs or with non-orthogonal grids( this means few to no square or rectangular street patterns).

  Edited April 8, 2011 by Dragonxander  

[Mikeaut1 261]

As most new players get into SC4, they use the infamous grid traffic/zone layouts. I myself fell victim to this, but having played for quite some time, I have made numerous attempts to make more realistic networks like I've seen throughout the forums, only to fall back to grid layouts. Any tips on how I can get out of this gridlock?

Here are some tips that I use to try and stay away from the grid. Most of my cities are mainly griddy (especially in the city proper areas - the suburbs I tend to make more realistic and non-griddy).

1. Using Google Maps

Google Maps is really effective in producing much more realistic and non-griddy cities. Use Google Maps and try to look at some areas around Boston and Baltimore in aerial view. London is another great example. The more you study some transportation networks through Google Maps, the more easier it will become trying to stay away from the grid and being more creative with road layout.

2. NAM Pieces; specifically 45-degree turns

Main thoroughfares should be pretty parallel in central business districts, but as the city resolves to more suburbs, have your main roads curve (use the smooth 45-degree angles from the NAM). These allow for diagonal plots of land between major roads where you can fill in nice suburban growth (or whatever you zone), and make sure to use diagonal streets as well to differentiate each subdivision!

Would you guys recommend placing my mass transit before the city builds up or after I need it? How can I promote the use of a highway, or how could I lay one down in a busy area of town without destroying half of the development while still having it get used?

In my own experiences with building cities, I try to lay down the highway and main roads before development. This also goes for the rail and subway lines. I think better planning is required to really master the strategy of having Sims use all methods of transportation with reasonable capacity. It's a hard feat to accomplish but it could be done with proper planning. For downtown areas, I really feel like the best effective strategy for Sims to use the highways instead of the basic roads are having a downtown loop or something similar that belts around the whole downtown. Sims will definitely become restricted to the main avenues inside the loop and may be forced to actually get on the loop in order to leave the city. From then on you can connect highways off of the downtown loop to get your Sims into the suburbs. This is also a realistic approach too because many cities (especially in North America and Europe) are designed in this way. It all depends on how your city is laid out and what zones are located where; like I said above, proper planning of zone layout around your transportation networks before development is crucial for acceptable capacities on all thoroughfares.

[EyeofMobius 27]

Mass Transit:

I find that to have space for mass transit I prefer to use the simplest versions early on. I am currently working on developing a region completely to a specific rural standard and then turn it into a metropolis. My primary layout starts by using the single lane Real Highway from the NAM Team as the only inter town connectivity. Since I have mostly agriculture I wont be too choked about laying down train tracks when I go back and urbanize it all. The next phase in my plan for mass transit is going to create the hub with parking and a bus system which I will later upgrade to a rail system. If I have the space and desire I will go with a surface commuter rail otherwise I will go with a subway system.

Anti-Grid:

Using the Nam I usually just start dropping random curves and streets in abstract patterns drawing out each neighborhood in puzzle pieces and filling in the R zoning afterwards. With commercial I place it where it seems like it will fit and do well. Industry I really enjoy to warp around because it just fills itself in. Another thing the NAM has that really helps me fight off the grid is using the roundabouts because they inherently mess up perfect grids but also help with the traffic flow. One last tip that may help is to develop along a shoreline or at the base of a hill maintaining the inherent curve of the map as you build out.

[by_myslf 4]

Well, I like grids but I've been trying to make my cities a little bit more interesting too. There's good advice in the other posts, but I'd like to add that grids can actually help with the whole "realism" thing, for example: you can lay a grid in a smaller area of town, as if it's old development, "old town" as seen in a lot of cities, and then change the type of development outwards.

Personally, I have learned from experienced that it's better to place the mass transit before the city starts growing and when the budget isn't mass transit friendly yet, just leave space for a future system. It's hard for me to tear down buildings and such, I feel bad for the sims...

[Vern 29]

I like to build grids as a framework. I then go back and restructure to suit.

[Keiichi-kun 0]

hey. The thing is its easy for the sims to build another house or buy a new condo (even the $ residents), so dont feel guilty. dont worry about destroying some bldgs, because once you find a way for the mass transit to work, it REALLY HELPS on DEMAND and the higher the demand the more bldgs will grow. oh, and dont be scared to take a loan, i myself loans 200k before even zoning. hope it helps