Source:swarco.com

Tips For Reducing Traffic Congestion In Urban Areas

Among the biggest challenges of life in the city is traffic, especially heavy traffic that blocks the streets and pollutes the air. Unfortunately, this everyday problem of so many cities and their populations does not subside. So, are there any solutions to reduce traffic congestion in urban areas?

Traffic Jams: The Curse Of Urban Areas

Source:geotab.com

Many large cities are under attack by the same problem. It is not a contagious disease – and yet it threatens millions of people. What is it? It is an “urban disease” in the form of traffic jams! Not only does this make it difficult for us to perform our daily duties – but it also endangers our health, both physically and mentally. Imagine you’re going to work and that you left home on time. However, you did not expect to encounter traffic jams. As time goes by, and you’re stuck in traffic – you get more and more nervous. You finally arrive at the office, but with a half-hour delay. Of course, you fail to complete all your obligations according to plan, and you are also nervous – which is an attack on your mental and physical health. We don’t have to talk much about the global impact that heavy traffic has on our health. The pile of gasses that produce pollution in cities makes us breathe bad air. All this needs to change, but such solutions must be made systematically. However, there are some things we can do at the micro-level – and thus at least partially contribute to reducing traffic congestion. Here’s how.

What Can We Do About It?

Instead of going alone, share the ride with someone

Whether you go to work in your car, with a colleague, or you take a cab – always try to share the ride with more people. For example, four colleagues living in the same part of the city do not all have to drive their cars individually. Simply agree and share the cost of fuel and depreciation for one car. That way, traffic will be less congested, air pollution will be less, your fuel will cost lower – and ultimately, it will be more fun to ride in the company. If you do not have colleagues with whom to share the ride – you can always turn to services such as Uber – and share your ride with other passengers going in your direction.

Obligation to park in public garages

Source:edition.cnn.com

Very often, the cause of slow traffic and congestion is improperly parked vehicles. Some of them are on the sidewalks, thus preventing pedestrians from using the sidewalk – and then walking down the street. This is not only improper but also very dangerous. Also, many often stop their vehicles in the middle of the street, turn on all 4 turn signals – and then stay for longer than expected. Moreover, you can even come across such phenomena on highways, which is nonsense. All this very much affects the increased traffic congestion – and you will admit, completely, unnecessarily. Therefore, according to www.ittutoria.net – the cities themselves have to do studies on traffic congestion in urban parts of the city. Many cities have even built a large number of public garages with numerous parking spaces in their central areas, thus trying to influence such negative occurrences.

Control of vehicle purchase

It is clear that the largest population, and therefore cars – is concentrated in cities and urban settlements. Therefore, the traffic congestions are not so strange in these areas. If we take into account the fact that one family very often owns more than one or two cars – things become even more clear to us. This is the reason that some countries have already resorted to radical solutions. In what way? Simply, by controlling the purchase of a vehicle that one person can buy. For example, several cities in Italy have banned cars from entering the city center – while some megalopolises such as Singapore have introduced restrictive measures to control the purchase of vehicles.

Speed control cameras

Unadjusted speed is the most common cause of traffic accidents and collisions – and these are the most common causes of traffic congestion. Depending on the situation on the road, such delays can last for hours. To control speed and indirectly prevent traffic accidents and congestion caused by accidents on the road – many urban areas have automatic cameras that record the speed at which vehicles move. These devices are so precise – that you can’t fool them. In addition, many of them have been upgraded with license plate recognition systems and can even recognize drivers’ faces. This has certainly proven to be good –  because drivers automatically slow down the speed of movement in places known as checkpoints where there are such cameras.

Modern methods of delivery

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Delivery vehicles make up a large percentage of the entire traffic. Today we deliver everything, from food, through packages and ordered goods – to medicines and medical devices, etc. Believe it or not, the number of delivery vehicles is counted in the hundreds of millions – and some countries like China have decided to find another solution. Some cities in China have drone delivery. While this sounds like science fiction to many – it is actually a very practical solution. Large Chinese cities are already congested with traffic even without delivery – so this solution proved to be quite justified.

Changing our life habits

You already know that when something needs to change, we need to start with ourselves. Therefore, if you are able, cross short distances by bike. Some countries, such as the Netherlands, already have this habit among their residents – so you shouldn’t be surprised why, for example, Amsterdam has more bicycles than cars. For longer distances, public transport could be an ideal solution. Many cities are working to improve bus, metro, and rail transport to encourage citizens not to use their cars.

The Bottom Line

Source:themoscowtimes.com

We are aware that many countries and big cities are working intensively to solve the problem of traffic congestion. However, we hope that our tips have contributed at least in some way to making you aware of this issue – and maybe you will do something good for your community.