Induced demand describes what?

New road capacity attracting extra traffic until congestion returns

Demand falling when prices rise

Braess's paradox states that what can happen?

Adding a road can make overall travel times worse

Removing traffic lights always helps

A "desire path" is what?

A worn track showing the route people actually take

Bus rapid transit achieves metro-like capacity by doing what?

Giving buses dedicated lanes, priority signals and off-board ticketing

Congestion charging aims to do what?

Price scarce road space so demand falls

Why are metro systems usually more efficient than buses per passenger?

Dedicated track means no interaction with road traffic

Level crossings are progressively removed from busy rail lines because what?

They limit train frequency and create collision risk

The "last mile problem" refers to what?

Getting people between a transport hub and their final destination

Roundabouts generally reduce serious collisions compared with signalled crossroads because what?

They remove high-speed right-angle conflicts

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Transport & Travel Medium ⚡ 10 Questions ⏱️ ~7 Mins +100 XP

How Cities Move People

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Moving several million people daily produces rules that contradict intuition almost every time.

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About this topic

Urban transport is full of results that sound wrong. Adding road capacity can increase congestion, because faster journeys attract more of them until the delay returns. Removing a road sometimes improves traffic for the same reason in reverse. These questions cover the systems cities use and the effects planners have to account for, including the ones that make political sense and traffic sense in opposite directions.

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How Cities Move People: all 10 questions and answers

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1Which city opened the world's first underground railway?
- A Paris
- B New York
- C Berlin
- D London Correct
Answer: D. London

Why: The Metropolitan Railway opened in 1863, running steam trains through tunnels just below the street.
2Induced demand describes what?
- A Seasonal changes in travel
- B Public transport losing riders
- C New road capacity attracting extra traffic until congestion returns Correct
- D Demand falling when prices rise
Answer: C. New road capacity attracting extra traffic until congestion returns

Why: Journeys that were previously not worth making become worth making, which is why widening a motorway often provides only temporary relief.
3Braess's paradox states that what can happen?
- A Congestion is unavoidable
- B Adding a road can make overall travel times worse Correct
- C Removing traffic lights always helps
- D Buses slow all other traffic
Answer: B. Adding a road can make overall travel times worse

Why: Individually rational route choices can produce a worse outcome for everyone. Closing a road has occasionally improved flow in practice.
4A "desire path" is what?
- A A worn track showing the route people actually take Correct
- B A planned cycle route
- C A pedestrian-only street
- D A bus lane
Answer: A. A worn track showing the route people actually take

Why: Planners increasingly treat them as evidence of a design error rather than as a nuisance to be fenced off.
5Bus rapid transit achieves metro-like capacity by doing what?
- A Running double-decker buses
- B Using longer routes
- C Increasing fares
- D Giving buses dedicated lanes, priority signals and off-board ticketing Correct
Answer: D. Giving buses dedicated lanes, priority signals and off-board ticketing

Why: Systems in Curitiba and Bogotá showed it can move very large numbers at a fraction of the cost of rail.
6Congestion charging aims to do what?
- A Ban cars entirely
- B Subsidise fuel
- C Price scarce road space so demand falls Correct
- D Raise money only
Answer: C. Price scarce road space so demand falls

Why: London and Singapore both report reduced traffic in charged zones, though the effect on the surrounding network is debated.
7Why are metro systems usually more efficient than buses per passenger?
- A They run less often
- B Dedicated track means no interaction with road traffic Correct
- C They are cheaper to build
- D They carry fewer people
Answer: B. Dedicated track means no interaction with road traffic

Why: Segregation is what allows reliable frequency. A bus in mixed traffic inherits every delay the traffic experiences.
8Level crossings are progressively removed from busy rail lines because what?
- A They limit train frequency and create collision risk Correct
- B Trains cannot brake
- C They are expensive to light
- D Road users demand it
Answer: A. They limit train frequency and create collision risk

Why: Each crossing forces a compromise between road and rail capacity, and grade separation removes it.
9The "last mile problem" refers to what?
- A The final mile of a motorway
- B Freight delivery to ports
- C Rural road maintenance
- D Getting people between a transport hub and their final destination Correct
Answer: D. Getting people between a transport hub and their final destination

Why: It is why station cycle parking, feeder buses and hire schemes matter disproportionately to whether a network gets used.
10Roundabouts generally reduce serious collisions compared with signalled crossroads because what?
- A Drivers stop completely
- B They carry less traffic
- C They remove high-speed right-angle conflicts Correct
- D They are always smaller
Answer: C. They remove high-speed right-angle conflicts

Why: Traffic meets at shallow angles and lower speed, so the collisions that do occur tend to be far less severe.

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