# Traffic control in ancient Imperial Rome - How was it handled? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111 "2009-10-25T23:33:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/1 "2009-10-25T23:33:21Z")
[Imperial Rome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome) had over 1 million people at it’s height was was very densely populated. How did they handle things like traffic control, restaurants, and the other elements of urban living people today take for granted? I can’t imagine they just left the traffic work itself out. > [@](#): > > The imperial city of Rome was the largest urban center of its time, with a population of about one million people (about the size of London in the early 19th century, when London was the largest city in the world), with some high-end estimates of 14 million and low-end estimates of 450,000.[69][70][71] The public spaces in Rome resounded with such a din of hooves and clatter of iron chariot wheels that Julius Caesar had once proposed a ban on chariot traffic during the day. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/2 "2009-10-26T02:00:22Z")
There wasn’t much. Julius Caesar banned most wagons from the city of Rome during the daytime (with a bunch of exceptions), and later Hadrian put a limit on the amount of carts or wagons that could enter the city each day. Rome didn’t have much on the way of enforcement, though. I’d imagine, during the empire, it was the vigiles’ responsibility, because most things related to city crime and public order were, but I think for the most part, the Romans did “just let the traffic work itself out”. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/3 "2009-10-26T03:33:10Z")
And did early-19th century London have traffic control? ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/4 "2009-10-27T06:56:30Z")
I’m guessing that there was little or no traffic control. Check out this chaotic [film clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64AOuabJyMw) of Market Street in San Francisco in 1905. Talk about suicide! ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/5 "2009-10-27T13:48:14Z")
you don’t need traffic control when the carts are only moving at 10km or less. Everyone just flows around each other and the reaction times are long enough to (mostly) make that work. go to India or Indonesia and watch the way a high volume intersection works, theres no right of way or rules but mostly people keep moving, slowly but they get there. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/6 "2009-10-27T13:51:42Z")
“Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!” ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/7 "2009-10-27T13:56:46Z")
The thing you’d have to watch out for most is the [cross traffic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Piranha_Brothers)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/8 "2009-10-27T14:05:27Z")
All roads lead to Rome, so there must have been quite some traffic going on. However, Rome will not have had much more than 1 million inhabitants. The estimate of 14 million is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/9 "2009-10-27T14:17:54Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > I’m guessing that there was little or no traffic control. Check out this chaotic [film clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64AOuabJyMw) of Market Street in San Francisco in 1905. Talk about suicide! [Indian traffic cam](http://vodpod.com/watch/437376-india-traffic-cam), somewhat more recently (YouTube 1:06). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/10 "2009-10-27T19:30:07Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > [Indian traffic cam](http://vodpod.com/watch/437376-india-traffic-cam), somewhat more recently (YouTube 1:06). Holy shit. I’d expect a wreck every other minute or so. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/11 "2009-10-27T19:35:23Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Holy shit. I’d expect a wreck every other minute or so. Note that the video is indeed only one minute long. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/12 "2009-10-27T19:43:04Z")
Yes, of course. But considering that traffic is like that in, say, Mumbai for many hours a day (if not around-the-clock), I’d expect accidents about that frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/13 "2009-10-27T19:47:41Z")
Some Roman urban ruins show some attempts to control carts in the form of raised blocks across the street. They were like stepping stones from one sidewalk to another that had gaps between them. A cart could fits its wheels between the gaps but it required care and thus forced the driver to slow. The aforementioned sidewalks also provided some control in that they provided a pedestrian space that was cart-free. An animal could still get up there though. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/14 "2009-10-27T19:55:47Z")
I seem to recall that one of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings is a plan for traffic control - apparently the idea of requiring people to keep to one side of the road was a revolutionary idea at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/15 "2009-10-27T21:42:04Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Some Roman urban ruins show some attempts to control carts in the form of raised blocks across the street. They were like stepping stones from one sidewalk to another that had gaps between them. A cart could fits its wheels between the gaps but it required care and thus forced the driver to slow. Huh, I always thought those were so pedestrians could cross the street without stepping in shit/sewage/whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/16 "2009-10-28T14:11:05Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Huh, I always thought those were so pedestrians could cross the street without stepping in shit/sewage/whatever. That was the main purpose. Slowing down traffic was really a side benefit. It should also be noted that such structures might not be present in older roman areas. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Happy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Mr\_Happy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Happy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/17 "2009-10-28T15:21:36Z")
Traffic control in Rome is barely handled well today. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Piranha_Brothers)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/18 "2009-10-28T16:25:04Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I seem to recall that one of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings is a plan for traffic control - apparently the idea of requiring people to keep to one side of the road was a revolutionary idea at the time. In a quarry in England the tracks from Roman times seem to indicate they drove on the left side of the road. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/19 "2009-10-28T17:36:53Z")
Take a trip to Port Au Prince in Haiti, that city has basically no traffic controls (mainly because people take them for the metal and other materials), but the traffic flows very nicely without them. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111/20 "2009-10-28T18:12:48Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Yes, of course. But considering that traffic is like that in, say, Mumbai for many hours a day (if not around-the-clock), I’d expect accidents about that frequently. I know. I was just teasing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-control-in-ancient-imperial-rome-how-was-it-handled/515111.md?page=2)