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==Etymology==
Middle French trafique, from Old Italian traffico, from trafficare to trade in coastal waters. Traffic in [[English]] is taken from the Arabic word taraffaqa, which means to walk along slowly [[together]].
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 1549]
==Definitions==
*1 a : import and export trade
:b : the [[business]] of bartering or buying and selling
:c : illegal or disreputable usually [[commercial]] [[activity]] <the [[drug]] traffic>
*2 a : [[communication]] or dealings especially between [[individuals]] or [[groups]]
:b : exchange <a lively traffic in [[ideas]] — F. L. Allen>
*3 archaic : wares, goods
*4 a (1) : the [[movement]] (as of vehicles or pedestrians) through an area or along a route (2) : the vehicles, pedestrians, ships, or planes moving along a route (3) : congestion of vehicles <stuck in traffic>
:b : the [[information]] or signals [[transmitted]] over a [[communications]] [[system]] : messages
*5 a : the passengers or cargo carried by a [[transportation]] [[system]]
:b : the [[business]] of transporting passengers or freight
*6 : the volume of customers visiting a [[business]] [[establishment]] <restaurant traffic>
*7 : a [[concentration]] of [[participants]] or players and especially defensive players <force difficult shots in traffic>
==Synonym==
*see [[business]]
==Description==
'''Traffic''' on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded [[animals]], vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the [[public]] way for [[purposes]] of [[travel]]. Traffic laws are the [[laws]] which [[Control|govern]] traffic and regulate vehicles, while rules of the road are both the [[laws]] and the informal rules that may have [[developed]] over time to [[facilitate]] the orderly and timely [[flow]] of traffic.
[[Organized]] traffic generally has well-[[established]] priorities, lanes, right-of-way, and traffic [[control]] at intersections.
Traffic is [[formally]] [[organized]] in many [[jurisdictions]], with marked lanes, junctions, intersections, interchanges, traffic signals, or signs. Traffic is often [[classified]] by [[type]]: heavy motor vehicle (e.g., car, truck); other vehicle (e.g., moped, bicycle); and pedestrian. [[Different]] classes may [[share]] [[speed]] limits and easement, or may be [[segregated]]. Some [[jurisdictions]] may have very detailed and [[complex]] rules of the road while others rely more on drivers' common sense and willingness to [[cooperate]].
[[Organization]] typically produces a better combination of [[travel]] safety and [[efficiency]]. Events which disrupt the [[flow]] and may cause traffic to degenerate into a disorganized mess include: road construction, collisions and debris in the roadway. On particularly busy freeways, a minor disruption may [[persist]] in a [[phenomenon]] known as traffic [[waves]]. A complete breakdown of [[organization]] may result in traffic jams and gridlock. [[Simulations]] of [[organized]] traffic frequently involve [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queuing_theory queuing theory], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stochastic_process stochastic processes] and [[equation]]s of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_physics mathematical physics] applied to traffic [[flow]].
[[Category: General Reference]]
==Etymology==
Middle French trafique, from Old Italian traffico, from trafficare to trade in coastal waters. Traffic in [[English]] is taken from the Arabic word taraffaqa, which means to walk along slowly [[together]].
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 1549]
==Definitions==
*1 a : import and export trade
:b : the [[business]] of bartering or buying and selling
:c : illegal or disreputable usually [[commercial]] [[activity]] <the [[drug]] traffic>
*2 a : [[communication]] or dealings especially between [[individuals]] or [[groups]]
:b : exchange <a lively traffic in [[ideas]] — F. L. Allen>
*3 archaic : wares, goods
*4 a (1) : the [[movement]] (as of vehicles or pedestrians) through an area or along a route (2) : the vehicles, pedestrians, ships, or planes moving along a route (3) : congestion of vehicles <stuck in traffic>
:b : the [[information]] or signals [[transmitted]] over a [[communications]] [[system]] : messages
*5 a : the passengers or cargo carried by a [[transportation]] [[system]]
:b : the [[business]] of transporting passengers or freight
*6 : the volume of customers visiting a [[business]] [[establishment]] <restaurant traffic>
*7 : a [[concentration]] of [[participants]] or players and especially defensive players <force difficult shots in traffic>
==Synonym==
*see [[business]]
==Description==
'''Traffic''' on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded [[animals]], vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the [[public]] way for [[purposes]] of [[travel]]. Traffic laws are the [[laws]] which [[Control|govern]] traffic and regulate vehicles, while rules of the road are both the [[laws]] and the informal rules that may have [[developed]] over time to [[facilitate]] the orderly and timely [[flow]] of traffic.
[[Organized]] traffic generally has well-[[established]] priorities, lanes, right-of-way, and traffic [[control]] at intersections.
Traffic is [[formally]] [[organized]] in many [[jurisdictions]], with marked lanes, junctions, intersections, interchanges, traffic signals, or signs. Traffic is often [[classified]] by [[type]]: heavy motor vehicle (e.g., car, truck); other vehicle (e.g., moped, bicycle); and pedestrian. [[Different]] classes may [[share]] [[speed]] limits and easement, or may be [[segregated]]. Some [[jurisdictions]] may have very detailed and [[complex]] rules of the road while others rely more on drivers' common sense and willingness to [[cooperate]].
[[Organization]] typically produces a better combination of [[travel]] safety and [[efficiency]]. Events which disrupt the [[flow]] and may cause traffic to degenerate into a disorganized mess include: road construction, collisions and debris in the roadway. On particularly busy freeways, a minor disruption may [[persist]] in a [[phenomenon]] known as traffic [[waves]]. A complete breakdown of [[organization]] may result in traffic jams and gridlock. [[Simulations]] of [[organized]] traffic frequently involve [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queuing_theory queuing theory], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stochastic_process stochastic processes] and [[equation]]s of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_physics mathematical physics] applied to traffic [[flow]].
[[Category: General Reference]]
