Downtown Springvalley is still gridlocked, so this episode tries everything. I build a subway circle line, swap articulated buses for standard ones, then remove the whole monorail network, which I'm convinced broke the traffic. I also try free public transport, delete my own turning-lane micromanagement, remove a dead-end road and upgrade key downtown streets to four and six lanes. Traffic flow climbs from 70% to about 83%. It's one of my weirdest episodes, but the outcome is not bad.
What happens in this episode
After Episode 38, the traffic problem is still massive. Would bigger roads fix it? Would they be future-proof? I could run a highway through the city, but I don’t want that today. This episode shows how hard fixing traffic can get.
How it was built
Smaller buses
Buses blocked everything, so I swap the articulated buses for standard ones, which take up less space.
A subway
Time for a subway. Stations go into downtown in a straight line. Some sit right beneath buildings, which you see in cities all over the world, so it isn’t really cheating. Oddly, nearby businesses didn’t seem to like them. After a few false starts with one-way lines, I set up a metro circle line linking the major stations.
Detours and four lanes
Cars made strange detours, often caused by my own lane settings. I replaced many streets with small four-lane roads. I don’t love them, but they look more downtown. I also checked that there were enough nodes for lane changes.
Removing the monorail
The monorail roads had too many problems. Removing the entire monorail network and all its stations was a drastic move, but I think it was necessary. Traffic often jumps around 75,000 citizens anyway. Flow went back to 78%.
Undoing micromanagement
The flow got worse again, so I deleted many of my individual turning-lane settings. They weren’t always helpful, and that’s a learning. Some roads become six lanes.
Free public transport
I try free public transport for everyone. Public transport already costs nearly 10% of expenses, and the subway is expensive, at about 32,000. I skip a big central roundabout, because it would compromise the university area.
Upgrading downtown
A drugstore and a school are relocated to make room for bigger roads. I removed a dead-end road that served no purpose and added a pathway instead. Traffic lights became priority roads. I upgraded the college access and other key streets, again to six lanes. Sometimes it’s simply time to upgrade your streets. Next time I’ll pre-plan for it.
Bus stops
Please, Cities: Skylines II: give us bus stops big enough for cars to get past. Flow climbed to about 83%. It’s not perfect, and the district needs another look, but the subway helped and things are moving. A big office park also pulls a lot of traffic, so it may need a better bus line.
Video chapters
- 00:00Bigger roads or a highway?
- 04:33Placing subway stations
- 08:52Connecting metro tracks
- 13:37Building the circle line
- 18:22Detours and four-lane roads
- 22:25Lane-change nodes
- 27:15Removing the monorail
- 32:18Traffic jumps at 75,000
- 37:31Undoing my lane settings
- 41:49Free public transport
- 45:54Bigger roads through downtown
- 50:27A useless dead end
- 55:27Upgrading to six lanes
- 59:33Bus stops that block lanes
- 1:03:5083 percent and a weird episode
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
Can public transport make traffic worse in Cities Skylines?
Yes. Elevated monorail roads and big articulated buses take road space and block lanes at stops. In Springvalley, removing the monorail improved traffic.
Why does traffic suddenly get worse around 75,000 citizens?
Around that size many cities hit a jump in trips. Roads planned for a smaller town run out of capacity, so key streets need upgrading.
Should you micromanage every junction with TM:PE?
Not always. Here, removing many of my own turning-lane settings helped. Use lane arrows where there's a clear problem rather than everywhere.