Traffic and congestion in the Roman Empire

"In this book, Cornelis van Tilburg examines the construction of Roman roads in detail and studies the myriad road-users of the Roman Empire: civilians, wagons and animals, the cursus publicus, commercial use and the army. In examining the roads, much is revealed of town planning in ancient cities: the narrow paths of older cities, and the wider, chessboard-patterned streets designed to sustain heavy traffic. He discusses toll points and city gates as measures taken to hamper traffic, and concludes with a discussion as to why the local governments' attempts to regulate the traffic flow missed their targets of improving the infrastructure. Traffic was, contrary to modern traffic, a closing entry."--BOOK JACKET.