Why doesn't traffic use more than one lane

[sjiraff]

can anyone recommend a mod that fixes this crap? It's so unrealistic and pisses me off basically this happens to me only on highways too:-
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/387666306418302919/C94902AFBDC708D387F4DA8533A48527A2029B89/

They stay in the same lane they will evnetually exit on and it makes miles of traffic jams, but in real life obviously cars would use every lane available ♥♥♥♥

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by giraffe:

can anyone recommend a mod that fixes this crap? It's so unrealistic and pisses me off basically this happens to me only on highways too:-
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/387666306418302919/C94902AFBDC708D387F4DA8533A48527A2029B89/

They stay in the same lane they will evnetually exit on and it makes miles of traffic jams, but in real life obviously cars would use every lane available ♥♥♥♥

First let's clear away some faulty thinking...
This is a game with it's own rules and mechanics, it is not real life - do not expect it to be.
There is no AI. Vehicles use an algorithm to plot the quickest route from A to B at the moment of departure. They do not recalculate or make changes to that route once they've started and so they do not take congestion into account or make lane changes just to avoid it. So, stop imagining the vehicles have any thinking ability. They do not, but you do.

Got that? Good, now let's see what we have to work with...
You as Mayor have full control over how the vehicles plan their route from A to B because you're the one that creates the destination and the means to reach it. So, take responsibility for their 'crappy' behaviour. The miles of traffic jams isn't caused by their choice of lane, it's caused by the bottleneck you have created.
Knowing how the vehicles choose their route and being able to observe them doing so, makes them very predictable. The miles of vehicles all wanting to turn left should be a good indication that you aren't offering them the option to turn left a lot sooner. Focus on the reason for why they're not taking that left turn quickly enough to keep traffic flowing - stop focusing on the tailback.
Use the correct type of roads and spacing between them. If you want your vehicles to use all 6 lanes of a 6 lane one way large road, then give them plenty of reasons to use them. 2 lanes to go left, 2 lanes to go straight on and 2 lanes to go right, otherwise there's little reason to use them at all. Avoid 4 way intersections and if you have to place any intersection, then at least space them out, provide plenty of distance between each intersection. If you do find you need 4 or more roads to meet at one point, use a roundabout instead. It will flow much better and distribute traffic far more efficiently than a crossroads.

Read all of the traffic guides in the Workshop, learn the game, stop blaming it for your inexperience.

[jPRO93]

Awesome text! Thanks!!

[HarryB]

A very clear explanation indeed. Thumbs up for that!

One of the guides that helped me out a lot is this one:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=410236188

[Fuzzy Logic]

Originally posted by giraffe:

can anyone recommend a mod that fixes this crap? It's so unrealistic and pisses me off basically this happens to me only on highways too:-
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/387666306418302919/C94902AFBDC708D387F4DA8533A48527A2029B89/

They stay in the same lane they will evnetually exit on and it makes miles of traffic jams, but in real life obviously cars would use every lane available ♥♥♥♥

Dude I feel your pain and yes traffic management is very tricky in this sim. There are some mods that help smooth things out, have a look at Traffic Manager P.E in the workshop. Also, I noticed from your screenshot that your intersections are too many and too close. I also question the need for 2 six lane roads when it appears that you don't have the population or traffic to justify their use. Try the two lane or the dual carriageway until your population/traffic increases

[sjiraff]

Originally posted by Fuzzy Logic:

Originally posted by giraffe:

can anyone recommend a mod that fixes this crap? It's so unrealistic and pisses me off basically this happens to me only on highways too:-
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/387666306418302919/C94902AFBDC708D387F4DA8533A48527A2029B89/

They stay in the same lane they will evnetually exit on and it makes miles of traffic jams, but in real life obviously cars would use every lane available ♥♥♥♥

Dude I feel your pain and yes traffic management is very tricky in this sim. There are some mods that help smooth things out, have a look at Traffic Manager P.E in the workshop. Also, I noticed from your screenshot that your intersections are too many and too close. I also question the need for 2 six lane roads when it appears that you don't have the population or traffic to justify their use. Try the two lane or the dual carriageway until your population/traffic increases

Traffic manager gives me an error on startup for some reason :(

but yeah it's really unrealistic, traffic would never drive in a single lane for this long. I wish you could force lane use or something.

The screenshot isn't mine, i'ts just an example from the forums I found, here is another example of the traffic screwing up
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/bug-or-not-cities-skylines-traffic-serious-issues.843279/

[MarkJohnson]

Originally posted by giraffe:

Originally posted by Fuzzy Logic:

Dude I feel your pain and yes traffic management is very tricky in this sim. There are some mods that help smooth things out, have a look at Traffic Manager P.E in the workshop. Also, I noticed from your screenshot that your intersections are too many and too close. I also question the need for 2 six lane roads when it appears that you don't have the population or traffic to justify their use. Try the two lane or the dual carriageway until your population/traffic increases

Traffic manager gives me an error on startup for some reason :(

but yeah it's really unrealistic, traffic would never drive in a single lane for this long. I wish you could force lane use or something.

Yes, it is unrealistic traffic behavior, but you need to realized the game already does unrealistic things to traffic so it flows better. Things like:

Despawns traffic that get stuck, or can't make it to work on time.
Teleports workers to work if they can't make it on time.
Doesn't even spawn traffic if it knows ahead of time that it can't make it.
Late game it doesn't even generate traffic in idle areas so it keeps under agent limits.
I'm sure there are more tricks.

But essentially, the game is limited to 64k total agents to keep minimum requirements down low as possible and it needs to do tricks to keep agents off the streets.

The screenshot isn't mine, it's just an example from the forums I found, here is another example of the traffic screwing up
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/bug-or-not-cities-skylines-traffic-serious-issues.843279/

This is a bad idea, you should post your own screen shots. Other screen shots may have no issues at all or mod/assets causing issues.

But mainly, it's hard to help YOU if you report others screen shots rather than your own.

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by giraffe:

Traffic manager gives me an error on startup for some reason :(

but yeah it's really unrealistic, traffic would never drive in a single lane for this long. I wish you could force lane use or something.

Of course it's unrealistic, get over it.
Traffic in the game can and will drive in a single lane for that long or longer unless you do something about it.
Wishing isn't going to make it happen. Forget about lanes already. If you want to force a road choice, you can, as long as you know what type of vehicle it is and where it's going.

Mods are not going to be a magic cure all, when you haven't yet grasped how to implement an optimised road layout. Learn how to manage your traffic first and then use mods to compliment what you've learnt to your roads.

The screenshot isn't mine, i'ts just an example from the forums I found, here is another example of the traffic screwing up

No, that's another example of a player screwing his traffic up.
These screenshots are all mine and show all lanes used in 5 different cities.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=629936396
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=629934592
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=462730237
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=457810482
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=423560766
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=651981405
Just to give you an idea of the lengths I've gone to to manage my traffic in my current city project lol.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=648764149
Nobody's road layout has to be as complicated as this one, but trust me, you can do it, just read the guides already and practise.

[ConureGuy_411]

I am still trying to master traffic control but I have one thing that is helpful. Variety. Using a nice blend of ground roads, elevated roads and underground roads in addition to round-abouts makes a lot of difference. Also, if you have an intersection, then a short road and then another intersection, you are asking for trouble. Just like in real life, back to back stoplights create major congestion. I also find using the right type of road to be very helpful. Having a large road intersect with a small road isn't a wise idea, I have found. Having the same types of roads at intersections I have found is more ideal.

[sjiraff]

Originally posted by Ziggy_Birdman:

I am still trying to master traffic control but I have one thing that is helpful. Variety. Using a nice blend of ground roads, elevated roads and underground roads in addition to round-abouts makes a lot of difference. Also, if you have an intersection, then a short road and then another intersection, you are asking for trouble. Just like in real life, back to back stoplights create major congestion. I also find using the right type of road to be very helpful. Having a large road intersect with a small road isn't a wise idea, I have found. Having the same types of roads at intersections I have found is more ideal.

yeah small roads into big ones is a big of a pickle, i'm experimenting now with removing traffic lights using a traffic light nod:)

[ConureGuy_411]

I've heard a lot of people say using roundabouts is great for traffic management because they have no traffic lights. I just don't like the amount of space roundabouts take up.

What traffic light mod are you using? I'm not using any traffic mod though I have considered using that one (I think its traffic pres ed or something) that allows you to change the road lanes, speed limit and lights location but I haven't yet. Is it any good?

[PiniponSelvagem]

the awnsers above go exacly to the point... they drive like a GPS, not thinking about trffic, just the shortest route. Watch tutorials about it, it helps a lot... Also, if you want to find some good traffic mods, wish help a little (you still have to make roads right, xD) i have a collection of mods more based on traffic and essential mods wish you can take a look :D

[ConureGuy_411]

Makes sense. GPS is stupid. There was a story in the news not too long ago about a womans house who was 'accidentally' demolished due to bad GPS navigation.

[MarkJohnson]

The screenshot isn't mine, it's just an example from the forums I found, here is another example of the traffic screwing up

No, that's another example of a player screwing his traffic up.

Lol, that is so true. When traffic is perfect, there is almost no traffic!

If you have single file lines and full 3 lanes, there is too much traffic.

If you are lucky, these traffic issues are from a new, growing area, rather than an old finished area. The latter will cause traffic issues the rest of the game, while the former will mature and you can balance it out to zero traffic, preferably before moving on to the new area.

[Z28Derick]

I agree with what others are saying, you just have to learn the traffic, I've got 150k people and very little traffic problems. Learn where to use one way roads, round abouts, etc. This is actually the first city I've gotten this big and not had traffic issues but I've learned a lot too. Check out some youtube videos as well. I've got mods but none of the traffic mods are that useful for bad road placement. You still need good road placement and every now and then a mod might come in handy.

[sjiraff]

yknow what