Traffic congestion: Reasons & solutions
THE increasing traffic congestion has become a major problem in many of the developing metropolitan areas across the globe. Peak hour traffic congestion has become something everyone has to face due to the way in which the current society operates. The timings which are in place in different parts of the world, has led to the inevitable overloading of the existing roads every day. The alarming issue is that in spite of many of the remedies that are tested out to reduce the traffic congestion, there has not been any major improvement in this aspect.
The main reason for traffic congestion is the fact that every person wants to move out at the same time everyday. With the increase in the number of vehicles, this does call for an increase in the size of roads to accommodate the extra vehicles entering the roads. This can only be done up to a certain limit. Even the roads cannot be extended more than a certain limit.
Some of the basic measures that can be taken to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads have been listed below: The use of public transportation is one of the most obvious solutions to reduce the impact of traffic congestions. Public transport is a cheaper and a less stressful option to use to commute from one place to another. Many people shifting to using public transport will help reduce the number of vehicles on the roads which will help in reducing traffic congestion.
Carpooling is a very good option to reduce your contribution to the road traffic. Taking turns to drive to work is a great way to reduce the stress of driving in the traffic everyday. This will also help in reducing the maintenance costs of your vehicle while reducing the amount of pollutants emitted into the environment.
The roads are usually more congested during certain times during the day. This time is usually when people go to work or school during the morning or when they are heading back home in the evening. Avoiding these peak hours and scheduling errands during the afternoons or in the evenings after the peak hours can help reduce your contribution towards road congestion.
Stricter implementation of some of the existing traffic rules can have a great impact on the amount of traffic on the roads. Following of some of the road rules can have a positive impact on the traffic congestion on the roads. There are some smart solutions that can be implemented to get the maximum out of the existing infrastructure without any additional expenditure. Listed below are some of the intelligent traffic solutions that will help deal with the existing road traffic problem: Advanced traffic advisory is a system that can be used to provide real-time monitoring of the traffic on the roads. This uses many subsystems like CCTVs, sensors, and other devices on roads in order to provide 24/7 traffic advice.
This covers different types of incidents one can expect to face on the road like congestions, adverse weather conditions, roadwork and many others. All the information is sent to the commuter on their smartphones. Variable message signs can also be placed along the roadways to indicate real time information about emergencies and road closures.
Adaptive signal technology can be used to adjust the amount of time for a green light in a particular signal based on real time traffic updates. This technology has found a large amount of success in Japan reducing the amount of traffic congestion there by almost 35%.
There is a need for practical innovative systems, and variable lane capacity management is one such system. This system helps in improving the efficiency of congested highways. The roadways are configured with the help of movable barriers that help in changing the vehicle lanes based on traffic demand. This helps in a real-time increase of the road capacity which will help in reducing the road congestion.
It is almost impossible to completely eliminate traffic congestion from our lives. But we can definitely take some measures to reduce the impact it has on society and the environment.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Mumbai, India
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