5 ms·

It seems to me that Waze isn't the problem. I've seen very similar problems where I live. When the freeway gets backed up, as it inevitably does, traffic spill

It seems to me that Waze isn't the problem. I've seen very similar problems where I live. When the freeway gets backed up, as it inevitably does, traffic spills out into awfully designed city streets. I once got stuck in small neighborhood for 2 hours while the freeway was backed up and that was before Waze existed. In Southern California we have massive urban sprawl most of which is filled with cul-de-sacs within cul-de-sacs. Waze isn't the problem it's just exacerbating it.

knolax 7y ago
In this light Elon Musk's Boring Company seems more reasonable.
apexalpha 7y ago
But usually people don't go into neighborhoods they don't know. Locals might cut through a city but others won't. Now, with Waze and Google, literally everyone can cut through a city even though they've never been there. This is the problem: these roads weren't build for it and the neighbors are left with busy streets, noise pollution and an increase in traffic.
- codedokode 7y ago
  But aren't those public roads, made for everyone to use?
  - falsedan 7y ago
    "Have access to" and "drive down at 35" are different things. Parks are public but you may not be able to enter one if there's some event and its massively over capacity.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  > But usually people don't go into neighborhoods they don't know. Locals might cut through a city but others won't. But they do, if the jam is big enough. Traffic signs literally exist to allow it - their job is to tell you how to navigate roads you don't know. All it takes to detour through a neighbourhood you don't know is paying attention and having a little patience.
mjevans 7y ago
You've come closest to the true point. The root cause of the traffic problem is the interrelated web of: Sprawl, civic planning failures (insufficient housing near jobs), lack of stable careers (getting long term housing near long term jobs), and generally too many people needing to move too far due to inefficiencies in our society.

knolax 7y ago

In this light Elon Musk's Boring Company seems more reasonable.

apexalpha 7y ago

But usually people don't go into neighborhoods they don't know. Locals might cut through a city but others won't. Now, with Waze and Google, literally everyone can cut through a city even though they've never been there. This is the problem: these roads weren't build for it and the neighbors are left with busy streets, noise pollution and an increase in traffic.

codedokode 7y ago
But aren't those public roads, made for everyone to use?
- falsedan 7y ago
  "Have access to" and "drive down at 35" are different things. Parks are public but you may not be able to enter one if there's some event and its massively over capacity.
TeMPOraL 7y ago
> But usually people don't go into neighborhoods they don't know. Locals might cut through a city but others won't. But they do, if the jam is big enough. Traffic signs literally exist to allow it - their job is to tell you how to navigate roads you don't know. All it takes to detour through a neighbourhood you don't know is paying attention and having a little patience.

mjevans 7y ago

You've come closest to the true point. The root cause of the traffic problem is the interrelated web of: Sprawl, civic planning failures (insufficient housing near jobs), lack of stable careers (getting long term housing near long term jobs), and generally too many people needing to move too far due to inefficiencies in our society.