It might as well be noted that Braess's paradox is a phenomenon observed in a world of (mostly) predictionless navigating, i.e. before Google Maps. When fluids

It might as well be noted that Braess's paradox is a phenomenon observed in a world of (mostly) predictionless navigating, i.e. before Google Maps. When fluids flow, phonons communicate "traffic information" at the speed of sound and the resulting flow is usually efficient. You can get Braess's paradox in physics, but you need quantum mechanics: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012PhRvL.108g6802P/abstract https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012PhRvL.108g6802P/abstra... However, Google Maps updates its traffic predictions much more slowly than the "speed of sound" by any useful definition of the way disturbances propagate in traffic. As 'frogblast noted, far more cars may be suddenly directed down a side road than it can carry, and the recommendation stops being broadcast too late.