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| | Encyclopedia: Gridlock |
 | | Coined by transportation engineer and consultant Sam Schwartz, the term originates from a situation possible in a grid network where intersections are blocked, prohibiting vehicles from moving through the intersection, backing up to an upstream intersection. |
 | | Gridlock, like many longstanding traffic problems, reflects that certain drivers who have an economic stake in getting to their destinations as quickly as possible, in a weak enforcement setting, are willing to subject other drivers to delays in order to attempt to secure a time-benefit for themselves, even if this is only illusory. |
 | | The paradoxical aspect of this is, by contributing to the gridlock problem, these drivers, en masse, actually slow everyone down. |
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