Guide To relieve traffic

[N G T 3]

Well, what I normally do to relieve traffic is upgrade all streets to road, add public transport if I havent already buil bus stops, build many avenues, add a highway system, dont make roads connect to other cities

Hope it helps, if you think of other ways to lower commute time reply to this topic and tell everyone an even better way!

[Moskva 75]

I totally disagree with upgrading all streets to roads, as it is senceless, wast of money and ugly-looking. Public transport is great and everyone better use all of its aspects in sprawling metropolis. Another good thing to do is to draw main avenues that are guidelines of city traffic where necessary, not just everywhere, unless you're doing some eye-candy high density zone, for example. For what regards intercity connections, you maybe dislike the roads because of the eternal commuter problem, but they're fine aside that. I simply would take a look at traffic situation and try to improve the red lines. Do you have the NAM traffic simulator? I personally get just few little issues with that running.

[Gurning_Chimp 398]

Subway trains. Subway trains everywhere...

[Wubbat 24]

I partly disagree,

Just as Moskva previously proclaimed, upgrading all streets existing in your city to roads look ugly but adding a bus system and as you said early, a bus network helps a lot. Furthermore, remember to lay out a good highway system BEFORE you start plopping or zoning. And once your city starts developing lay out a rail transportation system and. By the way, subway may help with your chronic traffic problems but it depends on the location you place stations.

  Edited May 2, 2012 by Wubbat  

[N G T 3]

I do have it moskva

It isnt senceless, if helps coming traffing because it increases speed limit and total capacity which would help you when your coty at a bigger and more poulated city. Also about the ugliness, yes it is ugly but the skyscrapers will block the view of the road if you have a large city

[Moskva 75]

Oh wait, then you should've told us that you were talking about relieving traffic in huge sized cities. Your SC4 town looks like New York City (Manhattan) and has that density? Then yes, you pretty much will have to upgrade anything to road or avenue. However, what i meant is that very often there's no need to upgrade a street to road. If the street is green on the traffic data it means it needs nothing more. If you've a red road but can't upgrade to avenue or you already are using public transport, then i can understand upgrading a near street to road, or make some one way roads, but upgrading ALL streets to roads, like you said, is unnecessary.

Edit - It came up in my mind that making a freeway bypass/ring around the city or/and the city core is very helpful against traffic. In one of my high-density cities i had some traffic issues, after making that freeway bypass/ring, things went so better. Sims realistically use the freeway, even if it is the longer route, but like in the real world they understand the other benefits! Perhaps may be the NAM traffic simulator? I am so glad of this.

  Edited April 20, 2012 by Moskva  

[N G T 3]

Fine, i didnt mean upgrading all roads a i didnt nesecerily mean all, it was a mistake. one ways do help though. Nor did i mean big NYC cities but soon as time passes cities grow, and they become bigger, so upgrading ro roads or one ways is loke taking an early step to the future

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Actually, I do what is necessary. Today, for the first time in a long time, I upgraded an avenue going out of town (neighbour connection) to a highway, after I had added a parallel elevated rail system. There were just too many cars.

I am always reluctant to upgrade single tile roads to something larger because of the time it takes to plan all the urban renewal, but if I need to get things on an even keel, I do it.

Generally lately I've been getting along fine with AVE-4 between tiles.

[z1 566]

Subway trains. Subway trains everywhere...

Exactly. NGT, since you already have the NAM, the only thing you really need to do to eliminate your remaining traffic problems is to follow Gurning_Chimp's advice. You'll need to place lots of stations, too; you might want to use RTMT (Road Top Mass Transit) for that, since it allows you to build stations without taking up additional real estate. I have taken arbitrary city plans from real cities and built them to scale in SC4 using the same type of transit as in the original city, although I typically add more stations and bus stops to account for SC4's scale. I find that by putting in an extensive subway system (i.e., under every roadway) with stations every block, I am able to eliminate all traffic problems regardless of the transit layout of the original city, and usually all abandonment problems as well.

As for commute time, with the NAM it's not critical, as Sims have essentially as much time as they need to get to work. Also, the commute time graph is broken in a way that cannot be fixed by the NAM team. My advice is not to use it; I never do. The Route Query Tool and the Traffic Data Views will give you much more useful information.

Edit - It came up in my mind that making a freeway bypass/ring around the city or/and the city core is very helpful against traffic

Freeways are also very useful; essentially any high-speed mode of transit is helpful. The reason I recommend subways is that you can fill a city with them without using any real estate. But freeways will certainly help, and in the NAM, they are much faster than subways.

In one of my high-density cities i had some traffic issues, after making that freeway bypass/ring, things went so better. Sims realistically use the freeway, even if it is the longer route, but like in the real world they understand the other benefits! Perhaps may be the NAM traffic simulator?

Yes; the biggest improvement made to the NAM traffic simulator over the standard Maxis traffic simulator is in the pathfinding section. Although the Maxis traffic simulator typically finds the shortest route in terms of distance, the NAM traffic simulator always finds the shortest route in terms of time.

  Edited April 20, 2012 by z1  

[N G T 3]

Im not neseceraly talking about advice to relieve my traffic problems, So for people withoit the NAM traffic simulator, they have traffic problems as i used to have because after all its called guide to relieve traffic not Help! Please give me advice to lower commute time

[Moskva 75]

Lowering commute time? Without the NAM? Well that's kinda *Oh man tactical nuke incoming it's ovah!*. Lol sorry about MW2 reference, however i don't remember much of me playing SC4 without the NAM. I think to lower commute time you gotta literally flood cities of jobs, especially commercial ones, do not make "sleeping suburbia", but make it active with various commercial activities running. Of course making the guideline avenues helps.

  Edited April 20, 2012 by Moskva  

[Gurning_Chimp 398]

Again public transport is your friend. Use subways, but don't grid them as z1 seemed to have suggested, they tend to just go round in circles then. Best thing to do is look at real subway systems (I find London's to be the best) and take inspiration from that.

[jacksunny 741]

It is extremely difficult to reduce commute times without the NAM, the traffic simulator is just so bad...

If you have SC4 Deluxe or Rush Hour, you should download the NAM. If you don't you should purchase SC4 Deluxe.

You could also post pictures of any problem spots so we can help you, but like I've said, that is very difficult without the NAM.

[zahrul3 471]

Interlacing CO and CS with R could help. Use either subway or el-rail and lay them out under the roads and a radiating pattern with ring subways connecting the lines together in one loop. Place subway stations wisely, don't put them too close, don't put them too far and make sure it leads to the downtown area.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

We really need to see snaps of your city. However, my technique of mixed residential/commercial seems to work very well. Generally what I do is the "small town" model of having a main drag with various levels of commercial properties. Then I add residential immediately behind on the next street to whatever depth seems to work.

There is no reason to have a single commercial pod. You can have multiple business pods, and don't forget neighbourhood corner stores (low density CS). I like them to be either 1 x 1, 2 x 1, or 2 x 2. Pick up some of madhatter106's small commercial lots and Paeng's small lots as well. Pretty much all growable.

If I have a shore line, I generally put down one of the CDK ports from PEG, and put an industrial pod right on top of it. Otherwise, I tend to put my industrial/residential pod sort of out-of-town. Think green space. Example.

[Cob92 360]

I don't really remember how I relieved traffic before NAM; all I do remember was that cities would begin to fail as soon as they got past a certain land area because Sims simply weren't willing to drive very far. What I do know is that the original game encourages you to rely heavily on public transit (rail, subways, monorail) and highways to connect suburbs to business districts. It's also a good idea to disperse jobs throughout the city instead of having one main downtown for everything.

[taliz81 19]

What is this "traffic simulator" you are all talking about? I have the NAM but I didn't see any icon that reads 'traffic simulator'...

[Moskva 75]

When you've installed the NAM is surely asked you about the traffic simulator, i hope you have taken care of reading.

[z1 566]

Again public transport is your friend. Use subways, but don't grid them as z1 seemed to have suggested, they tend to just go round in circles then. Best thing to do is look at real subway systems (I find London's to be the best) and take inspiration from that.

Sims never go around in circles on any form of transport; you can use the Route Query Tool to verify this. The automata may occasionally go around in circles, but they don't represent actual routes. With the NAM traffic simulator, you can lay your subways out in any pattern and be assured that the Sims will always take the fastest route to work (subway or otherwise).

[N G T 3]

As I said before, Im not the one with the problems A nonny moose, this topic is to help people who DO have traffic problems and as I said before its called guide to relieve traffic not HELp! Ive got long Commute. Read first please

[Moskva 75]

Simply what you've written is half good and half wrong, and also depends by each situation and also gaming style of a player. I believe any human provided with a brain would understand in few seconds that to relieve traffic he needs to increase/upgrade his road network and add public transports. I think everyone likes reading the SC4 manual.

  Edited April 22, 2012 by Moskva  

[N G T 3]

It does make sence and it did to you moskva about a day ago. It is supposed to be advice but not for me but for others. It isnt half wrong your now just thinking its half wrong because pretty much, I think the other about is it 150 or so viewers think it makes sence. So it just now doesnt make sence to you for some strange reason Moskva

  Edited April 22, 2012 by N G T  

[Moskva 75]

Look, i've written enough about the reason it is half wrong, and someone also agreed with me. I am sorry for you N G T but i am used to say exactly what i think pretty much regardless of others' emotions always taking care of not insulting them. Because, i strongly believe, the truth is the most important thing, and has to be spoken. I have my theories on the reason you wanted to start this thread, however this is not the place to discuss my paranoia. What is sure, is that i am not alone to partly disagree with your "guide".

PS: I removed first part of previous post because i've understood that you weren't seeking for help but trying to help, just if you were wondering.

  Edited April 22, 2012 by Moskva  

[N G T 3]

The majority agrees as far as im concerned.

[jacksunny 741]

No offence, but this isn't the best guide.

It's difficult to create a guide for this because there are so many different scenarios and problems that could arise. Relieving traffic in one particular area might require a different technique than relieving it in another.

Your effort is appreciated though

[Moskva 75]

Ouch i've repeated myself twice here, i am sorry, no need to do that. However i quote jacksunny. Majority or not is doesn't matter, majority is not always right and this is not math, everyone can have his opinion, because this game is money but also art.

For what regards your reply to A Nonny Moose, look he was just trying to help you with the long commute time problem, not the traffic one, however the two things are intimately connected.

  Edited April 22, 2012 by Moskva  

[N G T 3]

This is true though JackSunny. Because there maybe different reasons why its happening which changes the way to resolve (sometimes) as you said before. I was only aware of this today.

[Wubbat 24]

N G T- My cities are probably different then yours because mine are not stuffed with skyscrapers. So without the towering shadows of skyscrapers, i can't see the roads below. By the way, i know this was a while back but, I just thought that i might clear that up.

  Edited May 9, 2012 by Wubbat  

[Dizastrow 4]

I only use streets in my residential, urban areas. Then roads are used to connect busier areas to commerce and industry, then avenues as main thoroughfares for traffic. I like using highways too, but usually only to link up city tiles.

[jlt122 46]

Hi all, read through the post and the ideas are all pretty good. I use NAM in my cities and i have always wondered if anyone else has the same problem. Whenever I use the elevated or graound highways and have any of the different types of on & off ramps on them to connect up my roads & avenues or just have them running up under the highways and not connected, I always get alot of Red and the guy is coming up saying there is a traffic problem. It even does this with rail lines running up under or over the highways also. Is this a bug or does anyone else have this happen also? If so, is there a way to stop it. My biggest city is like 386,000.and my capacity is only like a mere 2k to 3k on the highway at best.