Braess's Paradox: The Mathematical Lens

Why can a new road make traffic worse? Two routes. Same destination.

Imagine these two parallel paths. Traffic splits evenly. Both routes take the same time.

Everyone arrives in sixty-five minutes. Now, a shortcut is added to connect

them. A fast, tempting shortcut. Each driver chooses the fastest-looking path

for themselves. The shortcut gets crowded. Traffic piles up and travel times

increase rapidly. Everyone is worse off. Slower than before, the trip now

takes eighty minutes. This happens in real cities. Closing certain roads has actually reduced

congestion. This is Braess's Paradox. More choice does not mean a