More informations about commuter loops, please

[0rion79]

Hi all.

After even more intensive reading on these mages, I'm strongly reconsidering some of the mass-transit choices that I've made about my cities. The reason is the so-called commuter loop.

I've seen that I did it many times, but I need to ask some questions and I hope that somebody of you may give me some hints.

I'm very doubtful about the "size" of the ring: how many cities can be involved in a commuter loop? Of course, no less than 3, but what is the top? Now I'm having a loop with a 5 cities ring. Is there a limit about the number of cities, over which I don't have the commuters loop anymore?

How ferry routes can be involved in this pattern? First of all, I've never fully understood the difference between passenger ferry and the one with cars. If I put the both in the same city, the pedestrians-only gets immediately unused, redardless of its position. Should I use it only for "inside-city" routes?
Second, I've built a whole region crossed by a river so I've built touristic docks everywere. As result, I've seen that an huge quantity of commuters keep travelling from one city to another by ferry but very few of them do really "stop" where the ferry harbours are. Do you think that they can be part of the commuters loop? Should I demolish them? And so, when should I use them in a good & productive way?

Lat but not least, my "sims" don't see where job is. I've made a city that "closes the ring" (and that I want to break elsewere), but I've made highways to meet each other esactly where the industrial area begins. It works quite well, if I don't link the 2 highways. In this way, the sims gets some of the vacant jobs in the nearby industrial area. Else, if I link the 2 higways, sims completely avoid industrial jobs and I can clearly see the commuters loop, since the higways turn blue in BOTH directions at once. So the 2 adjacent cities are both exporting and importing commuters that will find no job! How can they find it, if it is missing in their starting city and in the city where they are commuting too?
Maybe it is because Sims like more commercial employment than industrial one, even if I've made my industrial complex with a lot of $, $$ and $$$ jobs! :s

I really don't know what to think...

That's all, thank you for listening

PS: usp, sorry. I've written in the wrong part of the forum

[RippleJet]

I'm very doubtful about the "size" of the ring: how many cities can be involved in a commuter loop? Of course, no less than 3, but what is the top? Now I'm having a loop with a 5 cities ring. Is there a limit about the number of cities, over which I don't have the commuters loop anymore?

There is of course no limit, since each transfer from one border crossing to the next is handled within one and the same city.
To get a loop involving 5 cities would mean that the Sims need to traverse at least one complete small city, which shouldn't happen too often...

How ferry routes can be involved in this pattern? First of all, I've never fully understood the difference between passenger ferry and the one with cars. If I put the both in the same city, the pedestrians-only gets immediately unused, redardless of its position. Should I use it only for "inside-city" routes?
Second, I've built a whole region crossed by a river so I've built touristic docks everywere. As result, I've seen that an huge quantity of commuters keep travelling from one city to another by ferry but very few of them do really "stop" where the ferry harbours are. Do you think that they can be part of the commuters loop? Should I demolish them? And so, when should I use them in a good & productive way?

Ferries can be used for intercity commute, and thus they can also be part of eternal commute loops.
Try not to have ferry terminals too close to corners of a city...

Lat but not least, my "sims" don't see where job is. I've made a city that "closes the ring" (and that I want to break elsewere), but I've made highways to meet each other esactly where the industrial area begins. It works quite well, if I don't link the 2 highways. In this way, the sims gets some of the vacant jobs in the nearby industrial area. Else, if I link the 2 higways, sims completely avoid industrial jobs and I can clearly see the commuters loop, since the higways turn blue in BOTH directions at once. So the 2 adjacent cities are both exporting and importing commuters that will find no job! How can they find it, if it is missing in their starting city and in the city where they are commuting too?

When playing a single city, there isn't really much knowledge exactly where in the region available jobs are situated.
Each neighbouring city is reporting its available jobs.
The available jobs in each neighbouring city also include the jobs seen in other cities bordering that one, but not the current one...

Usually each neighbouring city thus has a number of jobs available and a number of residents that can commute to the city you're playing (these numbers also include some additional 10% of extrapolated data to account for whatever would happen if that city was played at the same time...

Maybe it is because Sims like more commercial employment than industrial one, even if I've made my industrial complex with a lot of $, $$ and $$$ jobs! :s

Depending on their wealth and education, Sims have certain priorities when looking for jobs.
Check the Workforce Drives here: Workforce and Occupation Demands (Drives)

[0rion79]

There is of course no limit, since each transfer from one border crossing to the next is handled within one and the same city.
To get a loop involving 5 cities would mean that the Sims need to traverse at least one complete small city, which shouldn't happen too often...

So, do you mean that if I create a ring using all city lots in the regional map
I really dont' know what to say, maybe it is even my NAM simulator choice that is not going so well for my kind o cities... but soon I'll post images of the map, so you can see.
Using my regional map, I've seen that I've made a ring using highways and rail lines but they ALWAYS cross each map in its middle, not in the corners and still I'm sure I have a commuters loop. What if I try to "break" the ring using slower streets, to have sims to meet more offices and hi-tech industries?

Ferries can be used for intercity commute, and thus they can also be part of eternal commute loops.
Try not to have ferry terminals too close to corners of a city...

I already did. I *almost* never built intercity connections near to the corners of a city.

Each neighbouring city is reporting its available jobs.
The available jobs in each neighbouring city also include the jobs seen in other cities bordering that one, but not the current one...

It is a bit confusing, especially the last part... so, do you mean that Sims from city A know about vacant jobs in the neighboruing cities (A1), plus the neighbouring cities (A2) that are adjacent to the cities (A1) that are adjacent to city A?

Check the Workforce Drives here: Workforce and Occupation Demands (Drives)

I think I have to build more $$$ C-Offices then
Thank you!

[RippleJet]

It is a bit confusing, especially the last part... so, do you mean that Sims from city A know about vacant jobs in the neighboruing cities (A1), plus the neighbouring cities (A2) that are adjacent to the cities (A1) that are adjacent to city A?

Yes.
When saving a city, that city also records capacities seen in the neighbourhood.
These capacities include residential, commercial and industrial.
This way every available capacity in the region is seen by every city, even if they are not directly connected.

E.g., consider four cities lined up after each other...
City A sees capacities in city B, which sees capacities in city C, which sees capacities in city D.
Thus, the capacity that city A sees in city B includes the capacities in both cities C and D.

This is particularly important since any demand seen in one particular city is based on the current regional capacity.