Sometimes a traffic jam isn’t created by a never-ending ribbon of vehicles slowing down so rubberneckers can gawk at a fender bender on the side of the city’s busiest thoroughfare.
Frequently traffic jams come as a result of city planners with the vision of Helen Keller.
Interchanges and overpasses intersect to create loops and loops and miles and miles of parking lots instead of an efficient flow of traffic. Bumper to bumper gridlock is prevalent every morning and every afternoon at certain intersections. You know those spots. You try to avoid them like the plague, but you can’t. It’s inevitable that the location you’re trying to reach has a driveway or entrance that connects directly into the center of the jam.
Despite what we might think, it’s not just an American phenomenon. Japan and Russia have some crazy traffic patterns. And don’t forget those adventurous traffic circles that are like the Eagles’ song “Hotel California” - “Once you check in, you can never leave.” England has three infamous circles that keep local residents on the traffic jam merry-go-round.
To make yourself feel a bit better about your daily rush hour drive, check out these overhead shots of some of the world’s worst traffic jams from around the globe.
Tags: traffic, traffic jam, rush hour, gridlock, city planning, traffic circles
