noun phrase · neutral
traffic congestion
UK/ˈtræf.ɪk kənˈdʒestʃən/US/ˈtræf.ɪk kənˈdʒɛstʃən/TRAF·fic con·JES·sion
When a road or area has too many vehicles and movement becomes very slow or stops.
Examples
“During the festival the city centre suffered from severe traffic congestion all day.”
“The new bus lane was introduced to reduce traffic congestion on the main road.”
“Traffic congestion increases commute times and air pollution in large cities.”
Band 8 sentence
“In many metropolitan areas, chronic traffic congestion undermines economic productivity and residents' quality of life.”
Collocations
- severe traffic congestion
- reduce traffic congestion
- peak-hour traffic congestion
Word family
Common mistakes
many traffics→much traffic
congestion traffic→traffic congestion
Say it for a higher band
5lots of traffic→6heavy traffic→7+traffic congestion
Synonyms
congestion
gridlock
Easily confused
gridlock
“The unexpected parade caused gridlock across the city centre for several hours.”
Related words
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In Transport & Traffic
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