Re:Sensor tracks who's driving in your neighbourhood
by tfnw on Tuesday August 22, 2017 @01:21PM
(#15074488)
Maybe it's some limitation of the human brain that causes us to reduce everything to the same recurring roots :)
It may be better to open things up elsewhere, as long as the reason that it is elsewhere is not because elsewhere had a weaker residents association.
I've seen the paradox you mentioned a few times, but I think it is like a lot of paradoxes, interesting but rare and not very relevant most of the time.
It may be a net negative for the people on that street, but overall, I'm not so sure.
Increased traffic on a road not meant to take it indicates some unmet demand, but it doesn't necessarily follow that the correct response is to accept the traffic on that road. It may be better to open things up elsewhere.
Also note that it's possible for adding routes to reduce efficiency, and thus for removing routes to increase efficiency: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braess's_paradox
Finally, there's the problem of externalities. Road traffic has costs to the people nearby, in terms of noise, pollution, and danger. The drivers don't experience those costs, and rarely factor them into the decision of which route to take. Putting a lot of traffic onto a residential road not meant to take it can easily be a net negative.