More roads will worsen traffic
By bmodina
@bmodina (241)
Philippines
May 1, 2007 3:07am CST
If highways are jammed as ever, common sense says that an additonal road will make things better. With this, cars on the road will flow faster and smoother. But a mathematician in the US disagrees. According to Joel Cohen, a professor of mathematics at the Rockefeller University, building new roads that offer shortcuts will only worsen traffic bottlenecks. According to Cohen, everybody, including cars on the old road and the new one, would travel slower than before. His basis for this opinion is the so-called the Braess paradox which means that increased capacity for congested networks slows down communication. (Discover, 1992, CA)
1 person likes this
2 responses
@rikki8 (392)
• Philippines
29 May 07
I think we better analyse the realistic conditions of todays traffic conditions vis-a-vis economic development of a country as well as its population growth. Mathematics will dictate a certain prediction based on studies conducted under strict constant conditions but lets not forget that the society we all live in is a dynmamic one and is interelated to many sets or groupings from within. Perhaps the road and highway guys should better discuss planning of road networks together with the business community in order to put together some kind of a master plan for the future. We cannot please everyone but one priority is to keep a country moving forwards economically and socially speaking.
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
13 May 07
if one wants to build more roads so as to be rid of traffic jams, have them built parallet to each other. when a car travels a certain road that runs straight ahead, there will be no bottlenecks. bottlenecks happen, as well as, traffic jams because of crisscrossing roads.
