On top of my other comment below, the game does lack medium to high density mixed zoning, and the transport and services used to serve that. Trucks also only do point to point deliveries which is not realistic. You end up with really tight city blocks, but instead of being full of foot traffic, bicycles and small delivery bikes or at least serial deliveries, it's full of cars and trucks moving a few loaves of bread between a factory and a deli.

I think you need to plan your cities more like a small country town, and expect less density per meter of road than the game actually lets you put down. Rather than playing to the games metrics of population and income, just expect less of the city and spread it out more.