Australian highways, freeways and motorways

[mgk920]

I'm gonna mention induced demand but leave out latent demand. Said every anti-car urbanist nut ever.

I agree with the 'latent demand' thing, this is traffic that was crossing in whatever way that it could now using the new much easier crossing.

Mike

[Duke87]

Sydney opened the Rozelle Interchange at a cost of $4 billion (US$2.5 billion). A giant underground complex that has created tons of traffic because merges are a thing, signage is terrible, and induced demand is proven real.

Don't think induced demand (or latent demand) has anything to do with this. It's entirely drivers being confused by a new roadway configuration, in particular not realizing that they can use the new tunnel to cut between the Anzac Bridge and the Iron Cove Bridge without paying a toll. Some of that is signs not making this clear, some of it is inevitable confusion around changes.

And well watch all the videos through to the end and you can see that by week 2, the traffic problems that were huge in week 1 had mostly abated as people started figuring things out. Gotta give traffic a little time to find a new equilibrium after a new road opens.

[Brandon]

Sydney opened the Rozelle Interchange at a cost of $4 billion (US$2.5 billion). A giant underground complex that has created tons of traffic because merges are a thing, signage is terrible, and induced demand is proven real.

Induced demand is bunk.  It's latent demand.  These people were using other routes before moving to this one.  I'll wager the traffic on the older routes dropped as traffic moved to an apparently easier/better route.  We've had much the same in my area when a new tollway opened and the queues of cars on the older two-lane roads paralleling it vanished.

[Chris]

WestConnex allows traffic to bypass 52 traffic signals, for example on Parramatta Road.

[ClassicHasClass]

Though the toll is a powerful demotivator. Look at how crammed A28 Pennant Hill Rd is.

[Chris]

I couldn't find much about continued traffic issues at the Rozelle Interchange on Google. Maybe it was just the initial opening adjustment which caused chaos because drivers were unfamiliar with the new situation?

Google Maps shows free-flow traffic in almost all of Sydney at this time (9 a.m. local time).