Traffic congestion occurs when people get stuck on the street because of high-volume vehicles. The effects of traffic congestion are serious for health and well-being, especially if they occur almost every day. In some places, traffic congestion occurs every hour, not only during rush hour.
There are many factors that contribute to a single traffic congestion. These reasons are accidents, signal management, high traffic volume during rush hour, weather condition, construction work, and special event. Drivers should know how to deal with it or else the bad effects haunt their wellbeing.
The Effects of Traffic Congestion
Longer travel time
People do not have a choice when they are in traffic congestion. They should wait until their vehicle move again without knowing the reason why it happens. It increases the travel time. They might have spent 30 minutes normally, but traffic congestion makes it 1 hour or more.
They spend a lot of time on the street instead of doing some productive activities. This journey is stressful for many people, especially if they are commuting almost every day, either to school or work. Some unpredictable cases may take a longer time for a trip.
Double pollution
Pollution is concerning for health. The first is air pollution where the cars and other types of vehicles can emit the pollution to the air. Nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide are the most dangerous for air quality. People cannot enjoy the fresh air, and worse, it may happen at the particular spot only.
Another pollution is noise pollution. This can get worse when people start to feel suffocated because of travel time and heat on the street. The vehicles honk and the sound of brake noise caused by many vehicles do it at the same time ruin the trip experience itself.
Safety concern
The possibility of accidents can be higher and it is one of the dangerous effects of traffic congestion. The vehicles move slowly during the traffic jam, so the risk of collisions is very high. Some drivers may change the lane during the trip which can be aggressive.
During the extreme weather, the safety threats on the street are also high. The road is more slippery than in normal conditions. Though the car moves slowly, the visibility is lower and they cannot see the other vehicles. This risk is high in non-highway streets.
Wasting more costs
The costs are high because of the effects of traffic congestion. Since the travel time is longer, the vehicles need more fuel to keep it on. It is such a big loss for private cars and also many industries which need active distribution. They need more budget for this possibility.
Productivity is also under threat because people spend more time on the street rather than actual and productive activities. They come late to work at school unless they go earlier. Meanwhile, for industries, late distribution may increase the price for the customers.
Less mobility
Improving the economy is possible when people have better mobility. Traffic congestion is the opposite for this purpose. They cannot have better mobility because of this reason. In the areas without alternative routes, people’s lives are limited to moving freely including having fun in their leisure time.
Bad service of public transportation
Buses and trams move slower than they should when they share the same lane as general vehicles. The traffic congestion ruins the fixed schedule. People should wait at the stop longer. When it happens regularly, their trust in public transportation is getting lower.
Stress
Stress because of a traffic jam is a serious factor. People are tired because they have to commute every day with this condition. Some other health issues because of this are hypertension, cardiovascular issues, and depression.
Worn infrastructure
The infrastructure in the overcrowded is easily worn and torn. The government should maintain the infrastructure more often which can cause more budget to spend for this reason. It is one of the disadvantages that the government should bear, so having EAS to relieve it is such a good idea.
Since the effects of traffic congestion are concerning for health, the local authorities need to issue and spread the warning about this possibility. Some cases can be avoided by announcing and reminding through an SMS broadcaster device. Find out more about the function of the device here.
Comments