[DRAFT] Traffic Troubles

[Techolandia]

(only available for nations with cars)
As your driver was taking you to a scheduled speech in a suburb of @@CAPITAL@@ in your limousine, you became blocked at an intersection due to an intersection two blocks ahead backing up traffic for eight blocks. With nothing better to do until the backup clears, you decide to open your car window and listen to nearby motorists.

1. "I can't believe this!" shouts @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, the driver just to the right of your limo, screaming at the top of @@HIS_1@@ lungs. "I've resorted to waking up at 3 AM in order to get to work on time. Please @@LEADER@@, for my job, make contributing to traffic jams a federal crime." @@HE_1@@ falls asleep, @@HIS_1@@ head falling forwards onto the steering wheel, activating the car horn, which does not wake her up."
   Effect: @@NAME@@'s roads have cleared up due to driving effectively being an arrestable offense.
   
2. "People like these are exactly the reason why there are traffic jams in the first place!" shouts the motorist just behind @@HIM_1@@. "Chances are, over an hour of her commute is spent asleep. If we emphasized public transportation more, we wouldn't have so many cars stalled in the middle of the road because the drivers are ASLEEP!" @@HIS_2@@ shout wakes up @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, who promptly falls asleep again. "Besides, it's better for the environment," @@HE_2@@ finishes.
   Effect: Public transportation jams replace traffic jams as increasing numbers of commuter trains clog the nation's tracks.
   
3. "The reason that there's so much traffic is because of how bulky cars are," says motorcyclist @@RANDOMNAME_3@@ as @@HE_3@@ slaps a "My car's long body is blocking traffic" sign on the back of your limo while stopping just to the right of your car. "Replace all cars with motorcycles, and we can fit six times as many people in a given lane. Sure traffic accidents might become more dangerous, but ambulances are also getting blocked by these traffic jams." @@HE_3@@ weaves @@HIS_3@@ way through narrow gaps between cars and ambulances caught in traffic to get to the other side of the road.
   Effect: Family transportation now entails four-sidecar motorcycles.
   
4. "It seems that efficiency in our road system is desired, but it doesn't have to be at the cost of safety," remarks @@RANDOMNAME_4@@, the driver in front of @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, while the Routez app on his uPhone updates. "Drivers often take the twelth-shortest route or something. Just the other day, when my cousin was driving me to my neighbor's house, @@HE_5@@ took a detour 25 miles/40 kilometers (depending on whether or not the country has gone metric) long just because a duck was crossing a neighborhood street. Make self-driving cars mandatory, that way roads won't be congested by people taking 'the scenic route', and be sure to program them with all of my tricks." The car ahead of @@HIM_4@@ nudges forwards just enough to allow @@HIM_4@@ to make a right turn by cutting the corner through a gas station.
   Effect: Self-driving cars ignore gas station owners desperate "No trespassing" signs.
   
5. "The reason that people take so long to get from point A to point B," explains @@RANDOMNAME_6@@ in the car just to the left of your limo, as he makes his four-block commute from work to home, "but because everything is so spread out. Just last week, my sister was saying she's so glad she found a suitable school for her kids only 20 minutes away from her house. Only? @@LEADER@@, please do something to shorten up citizens' commute time. Every additional block spent on the road is another block spent worsening traffic!"
   Effect: People are forbidden from traveling more than 20 blocks from their homes.
   
6. "Enough listening to the riffraff," says your driver as @@HE_7@@ closes the power windows of your limousine. "They only want to get themselves out of traffic, while you have better things to do. I suggest not bothering with these clogged-up roads at all, and instead getting around via helicopter. Ordinary people's commutes can take months for all we care! By the way, I'm already a licensed helicopter pilot."
   Effect: Only the rich can afford to fly above the impassable roads to get to work on time.

I used the find tool to go through all of the issues and search for the string "traffic" and only found two issues that are close to this one. #634 only addresses one particular aspect of traffic mitigation, while #100 only has two options that actually deal with decreasing traffic, allowing for much less variety, and the whole issue is in the context of reducing road rage.

[Borovan6]

I love option 1 and 3. Option 5 could use a different effect to make it more relevant to what the driver was talking about but it's also fine. I see this as a problem when people who live in around suburban areas have to travel like an hour or two to the city for work. But that's a hard problem to solve.

[USS Monitor]

#102 is also dealing with urban traffic congestion.

6 options is kind of a lot. Maybe cut 1 or 2 that are most similar to existing issues, but keep the ones that are more unique.

On a positive note, I am glad to see that the desc in this draft is more streamlined than some of your earlier drafts.

[Australian rePublic]

Your options are bit too long. Pleaae cut them down

[Techolandia]

Your options are bit too long. Pleaae cut them down

Okay; I shortened some of the options, like removing mentions of the kickstand in option 3 and using a shorter explanation for how the driver bypassed the intersection in option 4. Is that better?

[Candlewhisper Archive]

There's actually multiple issues about congestion in the game:

100 - traffic congestion and road rage
634 - traffic congestion and high speed rail
713 - congestion and bike accidents
782 - congestion and pay for time spent commuting

You'll note that each of these uses congestion as a feature of a broader narrative, rather than as the sole issue presented. This makes them much more interesting.

Consider doing something similar here.

[Techolandia]

There's actually multiple issues about congestion in the game:

100 - traffic congestion and road rage
634 - traffic congestion and high speed rail
713 - congestion and bike accidents
782 - congestion and pay for time spent commuting

You'll note that each of these uses congestion as a feature of a broader narrative, rather than as the sole issue presented. This makes them much more interesting.

Consider doing something similar here.

I explained why my issue is different from the others at the bottom of the first post.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

"And yet." - Jennifer Government

Regardless, you've missed the point here. The issue as it stands is not usable, for the reasons explained.

[Techolandia]

"And yet." - Jennifer Government

Regardless, you've missed the point here. The issue as it stands is not usable, for the reasons explained.

What broader narrative do you suggest?

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Okay, well this is your opening:

As your driver was taking you to a scheduled speech in a suburb of @@CAPITAL@@ in your limousine, you became blocked at an intersection due to an intersection two blocks ahead backing up traffic for eight blocks. With nothing better to do until the backup clears, you decide to open your car window and listen to nearby motorists.

This is the crux of the issue, and all that you are presenting at present is traffic congestion as a problem. It doesn't matter if your options are different from previous issues' options. It doesn't matter if you have an explanation in your drafting thread. What matters is what is right here in the opening description. That's all the players will see when they encounter the issue, and its where 99% of the judgement of whether an issue is decent or not will take place.

The previously referenced issues all mention traffic congestion but do so in the context of another problem. There's some other ones I note too: issue 2 has congestion in the context of protests, 102 talks about road tolls, 216 talks about bypasses.

You need to do the same. Don't make an issue that is about congestion, but if you want, make an issue that features congestion.

Brainstorming some ideas:
- the congestion charges of 213.4 reducing business for inner city retailers
- the blackening effects on historic architecture in the inner city
- accidents caused by radio dramas using sound effects of car crashes, honking horns, screeching tyres, etc.
- squeegee dudes at traffic lights cleaning windscreens and demanding payment

Basically, just think about what interesting conflicts and divisive arguments might occur , and go from there.

[Techolandia]

Okay, well this is your opening:

As your driver was taking you to a scheduled speech in a suburb of @@CAPITAL@@ in your limousine, you became blocked at an intersection due to an intersection two blocks ahead backing up traffic for eight blocks. With nothing better to do until the backup clears, you decide to open your car window and listen to nearby motorists.

This is the crux of the issue, and all that you are presenting at present is traffic congestion as a problem. It doesn't matter if your options are different from previous issues' options. It doesn't matter if you have an explanation in your drafting thread. What matters is what is right here in the opening description. That's all the players will see when they encounter the issue, and its where 99% of the judgement of whether an issue is decent or not will take place.

The previously referenced issues all mention traffic congestion but do so in the context of another problem. There's some other ones I note too: issue 2 has congestion in the context of protests, 102 talks about road tolls, 216 talks about bypasses.

You need to do the same. Don't make an issue that is about congestion, but if you want, make an issue that features congestion.

Brainstorming some ideas:
- the congestion charges of 213.4 reducing business for inner city retailers
- the blackening effects on historic architecture in the inner city
- accidents caused by radio dramas using sound effects of car crashes, honking horns, screeching tyres, etc.
- squeegee dudes at traffic lights cleaning windscreens and demanding payment

Basically, just think about what interesting conflicts and divisive arguments might occur , and go from there.

Alright, how about this?



(only applicable for nations that have at least a certain amount of culture and allow cars)
Much of the historic architecture in @@CAPITAL@@ is located in Old @@CAPITAL@@, a historic district with cobblestone roads that is owned by The Defenders of Bluegrass Fort, an organization that promotes @@NAME@@'s culture. Because the district lies between @@CAPITAL@@'s central business district and much of @@CAPITAL@@'s major residential neighborhoods, it gets a lot of traffic, which it is not able to deal with effectively. With traffic jams increasing by the day, something must be done.

1. "This is unbelievable!" shouts the sleep-deprived @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, who was fired from @@HIS_1@@ job yesterday for continuing failure to arrive at work on time. "Not only can cars barely pass each other in the district, but lengthy detours are creating traffic jams all across @@CAPITAL@@. I sacrifice my sleep to leave home three hours before work starts, and it still wasn't enough! Tear those crumbling ruins down and put proper roads in their place!"
Effect: Bluegrass Fort has fallen to bulldozers and wrecking balls.

2. "Destroyeth the buildings! How dareth @@HE_!@@ sayeth such a thing!" exclaims @@RANDOMNAME_2@@, a high-ranking Defender of Bluegrass Fort, who is clad in a historical accurate military uniform from the Third Siege of Bluegrass Fort. "These buildings reflecteth our nation's proud history, and to loseth them would robbeth @@NAME@@ of its culture. In fact, might I suggesteth that the drivers useth carriages instead of cars on our roads so as to not damageth the cobblestone? If they refuseth, thou can maketh them."
Effect: "Ye must not useth cars" surroundeth Old @@CAPITAL@@.

3. "Might I propose a compromise," offers @@RANDOMNAME_3@@, looking at a map of Old @@CAPITAL@@. "Why not just get rid of some of the less historical significant architecture, build highways through the cleared areas, and keep the buildings integral to @@NAME@@'s culture? We could even build a museum exhibiting the artifacts nearby. We'd have to split Old @@CAPITAL@@ up into two or three pieces, but I think that transportation would still improve, right?"
Effect: Processions of carriages for the harvest festival block highways.

4. "Here's another idea," suggests @@RANDOMNAME_4@@, ordering two dozen more tunnel-boring machines on his uPhone while listening to you. "Just build a highway under the district! Commuters can use it to get from place to place, and we won't need to destroy any historical buildings. In fact, my startup, Budgetchel Construction, can do it for half of the competitors' prices. Of course, our methods pose a greater risk of affecting the surface, but how bad could it be?"
Effect: Giant sinkholes dot Old @@CAPITAL@@.

5. "If you make any move against those buildings, culture-conscious voters will get upset," begins @@RANDOMNAME_5@@, your Minister of Manipulation and Cunningness, "unless you make them think that you genuinely care about @@NAME@@'s history. Let's run some building code inspections, say that the roads are in bad shape and the structures are in danger of collapsing, and then install Wi-fi and HVAC and pave the roads. The culture-minded people will think that we saved the historic buildings from falling apart, and the commuters don't have to deal with congestion. In fact, if this goes well, we could employ the same tactic in other places. What do you say?"
Effect: @@NAME@@'s government bugs the opposition headquarters while pretending to bring it up to code.

[Altmer Dominion]

Please, please replace the OP / create a new thread for any new draft? Seeing an entirely new issue halfway down the page is messy and annoying.

[Techolandia]

Please, please replace the OP / create a new thread for any new draft? Seeing an entirely new issue halfway down the page is messy and annoying.

Think of it more as a replacement issue with the same general theme than a completely new issue.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Please, please replace the OP / create a new thread for any new draft? Seeing an entirely new issue halfway down the page is messy and annoying.

Think of it more as a replacement issue with the same general theme than a completely new issue.

In that case, I suggest start a new thread.

But yes, this is a much better premise.

[Techolandia]

Think of it more as a replacement issue with the same general theme than a completely new issue.

In that case, I suggest start a new thread.

But yes, this is a much better premise.

Alright; I did that. What now?