Traffic is the bane of every city planner inCities: Skylines, and it all just got harder to manage in the sequel thanks to the introduction of road simulations. Road conditions will affect the flow of traffic in more ways than one, and players will eventually drown in complaints if they fail to fix their streets.
Improving road conditions inCities: Skylines 2isn’t too complicated, though it does require a bit of foresight relative to a city’s road network. When traffic jams and car accidents become too prominent inCities: Skylines 2,this is what players need to do to keep things from getting out of hand.
Once car accidents start becoming common in a city with decent traffic flow planning, it likely means that the roads have become too battered and full of potholes. To remedy this, players must build aRoad Maintenance Depot, which sends out crews responsible for fixing and combating wear and tear. This can be unlocked by spending Development Points forAdvanced Road Services.
This building is essential in high-density cities, especially during winter since Road Maintenance Depots also send out snow plows that shovel snow off the streets. Additionally, maintenance crews are responsible for clearingthe aftermath of roadside accidents, towing away wrecked cars, and clearing debris while police and emergency teams handle the rest.
Players can see which parts of their city is in need of road maintenance by checking theRoads Infoviewscreen, which automatically appears upon clicking the Road Services building tab. This highlights everything players need to know about their road networks, from the conditions of individual streets to the availability of parking in certain districts.
Like all essential services, Road Maintenance Depots are best placed in areas with good coverage. Preferably, these should be built near high-traffic zones with roads that see heavy use. Also, maintenance vehicles will occupy the roads themselves while they work, and they themselves may cause traffic jams.
Road Maintenance Depots will increase the city’s budget spending for roads. To compensate for this, players should attempt to manually reduce expenses in the Economy tab or raise taxes wherever applicable.
It’s important to keep in mind that road improvement alone will not solve traffic issues. It will help alleviate some of the pressure by preventing car accidents, but it won’t fix bottlenecking problems. Players must still be careful when planning their road networks andinstall proper public transportif they want to ease road congestion.
