#243 StreetSmart App for Traffic and Roadway Planning
Cities often add road segments in order to improve traffic, but in reality, this can backfire and increase overall travel times. This is a phenomenon known as Braess's Paradox (https://devpost.com/software/streetsmart-nu13s5).
Location
City-wide
Timeline
Feb 19, 2020
Today
Sep 20, 2019
Created
Why it matters
Addressing Braess's Paradox by removing road segments could significantly improve transportation in Baltimore. Baltimore residents spend an average of 59 hours in traffic a year, and our city is the 22nd-highest in terms of how long we sit in traffic (https://devpost.com/software/streetsmart-nu13s5).
What does "good" look like?
Good looks like converting road segments that are currently increasing congestion and traffic into streets that are only accessible to pedestrians, community gathering places, plazas, and businesses. (https://devpost.com/software/streetsmart-nu13s5)
How could technology solve this?
StreetSmart, a tool built by a team at HopHacks' 2019 fall hackation, was created to remove streets like the one in Braess's Paradox in order to improve traffic and make cities more community-focused and human-centered. (Source: https://devpost.com/software/streetsmart-nu13s5)