Heavy traffic in substantial urban areas cities is one of the most significant problems governments and people face. To cope with this modern problem, governments are trying to find modern solutions like the use of modern infrastructure and modern technology. In past decades only DOT numbers and licensing were used to keep the number of vehicles and their fitness.
It was challenging to check the growing number of vehicles by using DOT registration as standard only. The renewing process was not that easy due to which expired registrations of the cars were a big issue. But nowadays online registration system of biennial update for US DOT has been introduced in many cities to make the process more manageable and efficient. Governments also use many other ways nowadays to cope with traffic jams in cities.
Multimodal streets
As in the past, all the traffic was passed through the roads. Cars, commercial vehicles, cycles, and pedestrians use the same street, making streets crowded and hard to travel. But now, in many cities, multimodel roads are being introduced to facilitate pedestrians and cyclists as they are slower means of transportation and can become stuck in the flow of cars and other vehicles.
By providing separate streets to pedestrians and cyclists, more space can be provided to motor vehicles which can, in turn, make the flow of traffic more speedy. In some industrial areas, separate roadways are made for truckers and other lodging vehicles as big vehicles like trucks cannot move faster due to which traffic jams can occur.
Limiting traffic during peak hours
Most of the time, heavy traffic can be seen only during peak hours and during weekends. Due to this, there is a need to make policies to limit private vehicle flow during peak hours to avoid inconvenient situations like traffic jams. To deal with this problem, many cities are using a congestion pricing method, in which drivers have to pay extra fees to drive on the roads during peak hours. By using this technique, governments can push people to use public transportation instead of private cars.
Another method to limit traffic on main roads during peak hours is to divert traffic flow towards smaller streets. In this traffic method, police cops put barriers on roads for a limited time and direct traffic towards other available avenues. Maps of alternative routes are displayed at diverting points to help drivers find their destination points.
Eliminating street parking
Another reason heavy traffic flow can cause problems is the narrowing of streets due to street parking. As in big cities, due to commercial buildings and a growing number of businesses, street parking is a common phenomenon, but the street area where traffic has to pass becomes narrow and fewer vehicles can pass through it, which in turn can become the reason for the stagnation of the transportation process.
To deal with this problem, governments are taking steps to eliminate the parking of vehicles near streets where public transportation is passing. Governments are not issuing permits to business owners whose buildings are near big roads and encouraging commercial buildings owners to use basements as parking lots to save more room for the passing of vehicles.
Increasing efficient public transportation
To control the growing number of private vehicles in cities, governments focus on providing more efficient and cost-effective transportation to citizens. So that flow of transportation can shift from personal vehicles to public transit. Governments are using subway systems, rails, and buses to cope with limited space on the road.
Conclusion
Modern technology is also helpful in making means of transportation faster and more time-efficient as speed cameras and traffic monitoring systems are installed on main roads to monitor the flow of traffic on main roads, like when to start and stop signals. Due to modern technology, the duty of the police is also easier as now there is no need for them to stand on the road, and most traffic support is now done from the comfort of the office.