Traffic calming is designed to eliminate neighbourhood shortcuts - but in the age of Google Maps and Waze, closing established routes can lead to vehicles suddenly surging through side-streets and alleyways. Motorists search for alternatives... and they all find the same ones.
A 2024 PLOS ONE study examined 90 reported incidents involving navigation technology and found that traffic redirection was a leading cause. Researchers documented cases in which navigation systems led vehicles through residential areas, contributing to multiple concerns (including congestion, pollution, and safety).
That creates a modern version of the neighbourhood shortcut. Instead of residential drivers using a back street, an algorithm can encourage hundreds of motorists to travel it throughout the day - funneling too-many vehicles down routes that were not built to accommodate them.
Research into online traffic routing shows why this matters at scale. A 2023 study notes that apps such as Google Maps and Waze greatly influence the travel patterns of commuters and found that “greedy” routing—sending drivers toward the fastest available path—amplifies congestion. A 2024 study discovered that, as navigation-app use increased, drivers followed a smaller variety of travel options, concentrating vehicle volumes and emissions on fewer overall roads. The supposed benefits of traffic calming were immediately undermined by digital directions.
The GPS problem will only grow as more roads are closed - leaving residents to lose access to the side-streets only they used to know.
Sources
Schade et al. (2024), “Traffic jam by GPS” — PLOS ONE
Jalota et al., “Online Traffic Routing”
Schild et al. (2025), “Why is My Route Different Today?”
City of Vancouver — Adanac Overpass Traffic Calming
City of Vancouver — Clinton Park Area Traffic Calming
