How to Create a High Traffic Downtown Interchange in Cities Skylines 2

[@piccana_]

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[@dsaunders86ds]

Sometimes you can't delete the traffic signals if the pedestrian path is connected in such a way that it creates it's own signals. Brilliant build mate!

[@mariusfacktor3597]

Cool trick, but you're going about this all wrong. I found out that the more I tried to "fix" traffic by making it faster and more direct for cars, the more traffic I would get. It turns out the way to beat traffic in City Skylines is to NOT give cars direct and fast routes. Make the car streets slow and take the long way around, and build ped/bike paths as well as subway lines that are direct. All the sudden much more people walk and take transit over driving, and traffic becomes really easy to manage. I have fairly large cities without a single highway in them. It's counter-intuitive but it works.

[@ba8e]

I wish this was the real world 😥

[@piccana_]

Interesting play style! 😁👍 I love my highways though 😂

[@KurtDunn267]

That sounds rather close to how the Netherlands handles their infrastructure.

[@gris2261]

that works in real life as well

[@incubus_the_man]

Bike lanes in Cities 1 did that well.

[@thecardczar8764]

Man, excellent video from a sub-1000 subscriber KZbinr! Well done my friend!

[@piccana_]

Thank you so much. I really do appreciate it 😃👍

[@rone1954]

I built it just as you instructed and it works great. Can't wait to see what else you have. Thanks

[@piccana_]

Love hearing that! ☺️👍👍👍

[@Secretsofsociety]

Cool design. Bigger footprint than I personally like to build but gives me some ideas. Reminds me of something I would see in Atlanta.

[@piccana_]

Thank you. If I'm able to provide a bit of inspiration, that a win for me. 😃👍 Happy building!

[@kylemonk7628]

Seasonal greetings from Dundee! I really appreciate the skill and time that goes in to your videos and builds! First video by you and now subscribed. I can definitely use the building tips as my roads look like a plate of spaghetti 😂

[@piccana_]

Hi Kyle. Thanks very much!! Hope you're having a great holiday. I've got a new year's resolution for you, no more spaghetti 😁

[@jonblair5470]

IRL 5 meters is a typical overpass height. So you could achieve this going 5 down, 0, and 5 above. Instead of 10. And it would have better incline/decline angles. Or perhaps be shorter lengths overall. Great design and build though!

[@piccana_]

Ho Jon. Cheers for the feedback. Much appreciated. Good thinking with this one, I reckon that would work pretty good!

[@YerDaDoesOF]

subscribed just cos yer speakin ma language big boi ;) Glad to see am not the only cities 2 geek in the lowlands

[@piccana_]

Yaas, love to see it! There must be tens of us! 🤣

[@Bexx1973]

Learned something here. If you don't have node controller to widen intersections, just use the roundabouts 😊 Thanks, nice video

[@piccana_]

Love that. Nice one, thank you! 😊👍

[@FitwithVinny]

Great video tutorial. Thank you. Gonna try this intersection in my city. I am at 100k cims now and traffic is a mess😂

[@piccana_]

Nice one! Let me know how you get on. 😃👍

[@Chrizzey49]

wow, I'm speechless. wonderful build :)

[@piccana_]

Thank you so much!! 🤩

[@petiertje]

This is great. I really like this one!. I'm going to use this in my city for sure. I don't have that much traffic so I might try it with all roads with one less lane. Thanks for showing and teaching us :-)

[@piccana_]

Thank you very much, and you are very welcome. 😃 Check out the previous CTO video if you are looking for a smaller one. It uses traffic lights instead of grade separation, but you could swap out the outside highway ramps with non highway road and you'd end up with a tight interchange with development right up to the roads. Just an idea, but do whatever you think works for your city. 😃

[@woozyplays]

Wow, what a beautiful interchange keep it up, you are going to be big one day ♥

[@piccana_]

Thank you so much! A man can only dream ☺️

[@kamerikasabu]

I am Japanese. This video was very helpful. I also use it in my city. thank you

[@piccana_]

I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Thank you very much.

[@goodolarchie]

Man I spent like an hour building this. Will see how it helps my new dense area! I think I'll wait until the mods let me just plop down a template with the terraforming already done lol. Still very cool design for the perfectionists!

[@piccana_]

Thanks so much man. Love to hear that you're building along 😁

[@marktheslug]

Good stuff! Thank you for this.

[@piccana_]

Thank you so much Mark. 😁👍

[@ADKaizenProductions]

Saw this video from a PCGamesN article. It looks like a converging diamond, if the intersection at the top had dedicated right turn lanes for each side would improve even more I think.

[@piccana_]

Hi Adam. Thanks for checking the video out and dropping by. I like your thinking but it doesn't quite work as things currently stand. To maintain traffic capacity, we would need to have 2 lanes coming up the ramp and turning into the direction they want to travel. So that would be 4 lanes coming up the ramp, 2 lanes turning left, 2 lanes turning right. We have the 7 lane asymmetric road that would cover those 4 lanes coming up the ramp, so all good there. However, for coming down the ramp, the best we can do is 3 lanes. This means that we have traffic from opposite directions trying to merging into the same lane. This will cause tailbacks. Even if we did have 4 lanes available for us for the down ramp, we don't currently have any way for us to dictate which lane chooses which lane on the down ramp. So again, we came across the same issue where traffic coming from opposite sides are fighting to get into the same lanes, causing tailbacks. Now, if we get a 8 lane, 2 way road and a traffic manager type mod for dictating lanes we are in business and it would work very well. It would result in an even more compact interchange without the need for any "external" right turn lanes. So, we can certainly revisit this later but we need more road choices from the devs and maybe a bit of help from the mod scene. :) Sorry, this turned into a bit of an essay. I hope that all makes sense.

[@piccana_]

@adkaizenproductions I just realised there is a 8 lane, 2 way road in the game. Doh!!! I jumped into the game and upgraded the top section to that road on all directions but sure enough, the problems are there with traffic fighting over the same lanes when merging into the down ramp. Was definitely worth checking though :)

[@emotrashcracja5305]

​@@piccana_ hoping to get single lane roads the size of the footpaths eventually

[@user-wq9mw2xz3j]

I like it, I prefer having some different and unique designs, however with such a big footprint and still 3 grades/levels, could build much more efficient intersection without any same level crossing/lights

[@piccana_]

Cheers bud. 😁👍 What you thinking? A 4 stack instead?

[@user-wq9mw2xz3j]

with that size you could have assymetrical left hand turns, 3 stack enough. Or cloverleaf sort of type. Regardless, it doesn't make this obsolete as its nice with variation and this can fit in a smaller design@@piccana_

[@kevinmax101]

Interesting. Personally I'm shit at makIng manual multi-level Interchanges such as this but I got some ideas on your usage of guidelines and lane connections. Great vid. Though I hope once better mods come, I wont have to keep redoing manual interchanges such as this

[@piccana_]

Nice one! Check out the playlist on the channel. Think there's 12 interchange guides there now. Might find something new there to help. Once we get mods, I'll probably upload most of these too. 👍

[@montekristo74]

This is a the Dubai UAE, same city very similar location as is.

[@piccana_]

Yeah, a few people have said that. Not my intention to base it anywhere in particular, but it is giving me some more ideas 😄

[@promolockgaming6673]

Amazing video, thx you

[@piccana_]

Thank you very much for saying, I really appreciate it 😊👍

[@kimghanson]

It seems the key for most of these fancy interchanges is flat ground. I'm still looking for a good technique for avoiding the lumpy bumpies on more rugged terrain. A few things do help but they are never totally satisfying.

[@piccana_]

Hi, hope you're doing good. Yeah, for these videos, I very much want people to be able to build along. If there's uneven terrain, it could prove impossible to replicate what's on the video. I might do some custom builds later down the line using unusual terrain, but that won't be for a while.

[@fatjaysgarage]

I thought for a second you gave me a shout out

[@piccana_]

😂😂

[@eichbomb83]

Great build mate!

[@piccana_]

Thank you! Cheers! 😃👍

[@AdonisOuranios]

Very cool, but I'm wondering, wouldn't it be more traffic efficient to have the middle section be right turns only so no one is blocking each other? Or is there something I'm not thinking about?

[@piccana_]

How would you manage the left turns? Right turn can turn uninterrupted already via the right turn outer ramps. Left turns either need to go through a shared intersection like this with a traffic light, or alternatively you would need to build flyovers making this a 4 stack (similar to what you can unlock in the game ) or you could do some crazy tunnelled solution. Maybe another stacked intersection, just for right turns could work, i dunno if that would even be possible but, you're giving me ideas now. 😂

[@Scattergun90]

I have a Question. At 1:12 when you you use the terrqain tool you said about 10 meters but in the Video you go down to 27.

[@piccana_]

Hi. Have another look. You can slow it down if needed. At 01:14, you'll see I use flatten terrain and pick a contour at 10m. Hard to see at full speed. 😀👍

[@tom.jacobs]

Nice one, certainly gonna try it. Maybe optional making the right turn on highest level to make footprint smaller?

[@piccana_]

It could work well, but to maintain the uninterrupted left turns, I'd need an 8 lane, 2 way road and the ability to split lanes and control the traffic lights on a per lane basis. Not be able to do that until we have mods for it. 😃👍

[@NATHANBELDEN]

You should make this as an interchange we can use in game!

[@piccana_]

I would love to! Not gonna be possible until they release the new workshop next year.

[@technicienchimiste1247]

great video as usual !

[@piccana_]

Thanks again!

[@aliahmed5501]

It looks amazing

[@piccana_]

Thank you. I'm definitely happy with this one. 😀👍

[@jeffvreeburg531]

this is so good

[@piccana_]

Thank you so much 😁👍 much appreciated

[@Slacker6001]

That shit is beautiful

[@piccana_]

Thank you bud 😀👍

[@Chrisseq]

Could you do a couple intersections that are left hand driving friendly? I am always inverting these steps to make it workable for my city 😅 it was a real challenge but very entertaining ❤

[@piccana_]

Hi Chris. There's a chrome extension called YT mirror. It adds a button to the to the YT player on PC. It'll allow you to flip the video horizontally which might make it easier for you when following the steps. I dunno, worth a shot. Let me know how you get on if you give it a go 😃👍

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Interesting car dependent intersection

[@piccana_]

Yeah, something different for sure. It would never get built in real life but I like it 😊👍

[@canerkorkmaz85]

Perfect!

[@piccana_]

Thank you! Much appreciated 😃👍

[@frag41]

Интересный дизайн. Но в CS1 мне даже для города с 250-300к населения хватало более простых развязок. Если строить подобную дорожную систему с нуля, то лучше запланировать больше параллельных шоссе. Если этой развязкой пытаться улучшить старую дорожную сеть, то либо все встанут на следующем перекрестке, либо в итоге вы снесете полгорода. 😅

[@piccana_]

Yes, best to treat this like a system interchange. You should have a series of service interchanges elsewhere to get the traffic off the main roads. The parralel, or frontage roads, you mentioned are another good alternative to get traffic on the main roads. Would probably want to incorporate the service interchanges with something that would give u-turn capacity. Lots of options 😁👍

[@AhriCRose]

is there a written guide, video is kinda hard to follow.

[@piccana_]

Hi. No written guides sadly. I would never have the time to make them. It can be a struggle just to get the videos out. 👍

[@jonathanmarsh8119]

I can't wait until were get something like MoveIt on CS2, and an asset catelogue for these custom assets. This is amazing, but I don't have the patience to do this more than once in my city.

[@piccana_]

I know the modders are working on move it, so you might not have to wait too long for it. 👍Early next year for the new workshop. We'll see how that pans out. Thanks for watching and dropping a comment. Much appreciated 😃👍

[@jonathanmarsh8119]

@@piccana_ Thanks for making great content!

[@FranTizUndici]

I have a question for those who know, when the ground lowers or raises, how do you know that it is 10 meters? In short, if I want to make a depression of exactly 4 meters, how do I do it?

[@piccana_]

Hi. You just need to count the contour lines. There is a toggle to switch them on and off. 1 line = 1 meter 👍

[@micahsarm]

This takes up so much space that there won't be high traffic near it already

[@piccana_]

So, what you saying? Add more lanes? 😜👍

[@maltinfrijoles7942]

​@@piccana_No! you already destroyed your downtown

[@Carnagemode]

i made this but the traffic light is bugged so it only lets like 6 cars go at a time for some reason. Gotta love bugies skylines

[@piccana_]

Ah man. You gotta be kidding me. That sucks. I can't think of anything obvious that would cause that. Try going into road tools and temporarily making it a non traffic light junction, then change it back to traffic lights after a minute. It's the only thing I can think of trying if the lights are bugged. 🤷‍♂️

[@Igotnolphone]

Imagine being a pedestrian trying to cross something like this in real life 😭

[@maltinfrijoles7942]

i dont know why people in this comments think that this is a great solution to traffic, It makes everyones life worse

[@piccana_]

Could install zip wires or something 😂

[@ThaJay]

Nice!

[@piccana_]

Thought you might like this one 😉

[@Ruberdyt]

Great solution!

[@piccana_]

Thank you! Hey, I was watching one of your videos the other day too. The little harbour, great work! 😁👍

[@Ruberdyt]

@@piccana_ Thank you! 😀

[@WilliDixon-xs7nw]

Just added a link to the video on Steam community.

[@piccana_]

Thank you so much for sharing it. That actually helps massively 😁👌👍

[@AlkaloidGames]

magic

[@piccana_]

Thanks again man 😀👍

[@SaltyRad]

Once I figured out I could stack roads I was able to design something where at 100K people there’s very little issues, just the occasional stupid drivers lol 😂

[@piccana_]

Plenty of stupid drivers in this game 😂

[@Musicrafter12]

Better suggestion: don't do urban highways. North American city planners have had to figure this out the hard way... they aren't scalable and will eventually turn your city into a concrete hellscape as more and more lanes gradually become necessary. Eventually you'll hit a limit where you can no longer expand and traffic just gets worse and worse. Bring your highways up *next to* your city, not *through* them. Use arterials to get your traffic from the highways into your downtown area. The idea that you should be able to get right off the highway into downtown is, and always has been, stupid.

[@piccana_]

You're not going to like one of my upcoming videos 😂 Hope you have a great weekend. 👍

[@sevenup1293]

this interchange reminds me about asia

[@piccana_]

Nice one! Any city in particular?

[@incubus_the_man]

They need to give us addons so we can download intersections like this. I know I'd screw this up trying to make it on m my own

[@piccana_]

Mods and workshop coming early next year hopefully. I'd encourage you to give it a go though, it's pretty straightforward. Its mostly right angles in this build so you can't go too wrong 😃

[@RaymondCARTOT]

Great work, I love it, but it is not realistic. I have never seen such downtown interchange in a real city ! I loved CS1, but I didn't bought CS2 because it's a mess. A player should be able to configure a max amount of traffic in the game, just to have classic road crossings working.

[@piccana_]

Glad you enjoyed it.Thank you. 😁Definitely some work still to be done for CS2 to be the finished product, thats for sure

[@A--_--M]

Looks like dubai. No thank you

[@piccana_]

Each to their own. What sort of city do you like to build? 😀👍

[@Dusthorn]

Пффф куча перекрестков. Говно

[@piccana_]

Wow. What amazing feedback 👌 You are cool.