Building One-Way Streets and Slower One-Way Roads

[z1 566]

Many people have wanted to see one-way streets in the NAM over the years.  However, this has not happened.  Other people have wanted to see one-way roads with speeds and capacities similar to regular roads, for those situations where one-way roads do not have the advantage of timed stoplights to give them the speed advantage that they typically employ.  To give one-way roads this dual functionality in the NAM - with two different sets of speeds and capacities - is probably impossible.

However, it is possible to effectively construct one-way streets (with speed limits and capacities essentially equivalent to standard streets) as well as construct one-way roads that differ from standard roads only in their direction of travel, and this can all be done without any changes to the NAM.

To build one-way streets, just build most of the street as you normally would.  However, when the street approaches an intersection, use a tile of one-way road to enforce the directionality of the street.  This should be done on both sides of the intersection, so that Sims living or working on that block are forced to follow the one-way restrictions just like everyone else.

If a block containing a one-way street crosses from a residential to a commercial or industrial zone, depending on the orientation of the street, it may be wise to include a tile of one-way road at the transition so that Sims can't backtrack just to get to their job.

The RTMT one-way road stations can also be place right next to the intersections; these stations will enforce the one-way nature of the streets, while providing excellent transit service at the intersection.

For producing slower one-way roads, simply follow the above instructions but connection the one-way pieces with standard roads instead of streets.

If you wish to review the rationale for giving one-way roads significantly higher speeds and capacities than regular roads, please review the posts from here to here in the Traffic Simulator Z Development thread.