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Improved Lane Connections v2

The mod changes the way in which the game connects traffic lanes on junctions, with the aim of addressing some flaws in the vanilla game algorithm and improving traffic flow.

Vanilla game:

Game: So, there is this new junction. Make the left lane go left and forward into the leftmost lane, middle lane go forward into the middle lane, right lane go...
Virtual lane arrow painter: As you say. *paints lane arrows*
Player: 😞 Why is no one using these lanes? / Why are all the cars queuing in the same lane? / Why are there all these cars in the bus lane? / ... [cross out as appropriate or insert own complaint]

Improved Lane Connections:

Game: So, there is this new junction. Make the left lane go left and forward into the leftmost lane, middle lane go forward into the middle lane, right lane go...
Virtual lane arrow painter: As you say.
ILC: Hold on, do it like this instead, *gives different instructions*.
Virtual lane arrow painter: Will do. *paints lane arrows*
Player: Yay, much better! 🎉¹

¹ Lane connections are a major, but not the only, factor influencing traffic in the game. A good road layout is of paramount importance for good traffic flow. Numerous tutorials and guides on this topic have been published on Youtube, Steam, Reddit etc.

The mod's general behaviour is as follows:

• Lanes are assigned using strict "lane mathematics", e.g.
  
  • 3 lanes in, 9 lanes out → every lane connects to 3 lanes exactly
    
  • 3 lanes in, 8 lanes out → 2 lanes connect to 3 lanes each, 1 lane connects to 2 lanes
• Sometimes, this leaves a choice to be made. In the example above, which of the three lanes connects to 2 lanes? The mod uses a number of rules to decide, mainy:
  
  • Try to connect forward lanes 1-to-1, provided it does not violate "lane mathematics" described above.¹
    
  • Prefer dedicated turning lanes over mixed turning-and-forward lanes.
    
  • Prefer dedicated turning lanes against oncoming traffic (left turns in right-hand traffic, right turns in left-hand traffic) over dedicated turning lanes in the other (collision-free) direction.
• On roundabouts, lanes are connected so that every lane leads somewhere.
  
• Where sharp turns (up to 50°) are present, creation of dedicated U-turn lanes is avoided.
  
• Bus lanes are not used as turning lanes for cars.

¹This is a newly introduced rule in the February 2022 update, for an even better traffic flow. If you prefer the old behaviour (more dedicated turning lanes), you can enable it in the mod's settings.

You can find full details of the mod's lane connection algorithm here[github.com] (with pictures!).

• Lightweight – the mod has virtually no impact on game performance.
  
• Save-independent – the mod does not fiddle with your saves, you can safely subscribe or unsubscribe at any time.
  
• Fully automatic – the mod requires no clicking nor set up on your part. Save time on mundane, repeated clicking to set up the simplest of things, and spend more time on what really matters!
  
• LHT and RHT supported – the mod supports both left- and right-hand traffic. The LHT behaviour mirrors exactly the RHT behaviour.
  
• Simple – complexity leads to (1) more bugs, and (2) mod conflicts. While some mods rewrite half of the game's codebase and struggle to keep up with an ever growing list of bugs, this mod only makes a single change. It couldn't be any simpler! It allows for thorough testing, and compatibility with virtually any mod out there in the Workshop.
  
• TMPE-compatible – fancy a no-left turn here and there? You can use this mod to provide the default lane connection behaviour, and use TMPE tools to override this mod on those junctions where you want something different.

Subscribe to the mod and enable it in the Content Manager. You also need to be subscribed to Harmony 2.x, a utility which facilitates mod creation.

The mod takes effect upon loading a map. All existing junctions will be automatically updated to follow this mod's ruleset.

Note that when you load a map for the first time while using this mod, it may take some time (up to a few minutes of unpaused game) until all vehicles start observing the new rules. Vehicles which have already spawned on the map will continue to follow the previous rules.

All junctions you build, upgrade or modify will always follow these rules. The mod does not come with any buttons, shortcuts, keys nor other controls.

Disabling the mod, then loading a map will revert all junctions to default. This too will take a few minutes for all vehicles to recognise.

• No known incompatibilities
  
• TM:PE compatible – Lane connections set with TM:PE tools (lane connector and arrow tools) take precedence over this mod.
  
• The mod should work correctly with all assets, including any custom roads.

View in GitHub[github.com]