through traffic

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Vehicles that travel along a road or through an area without stopping there, heading to a destination further away.

   Grammar: Uncountable: through traffic is heavy; never 'a through traffic'.

   Patterns

   • through traffic on something
   • through traffic in something

   Residents want to reduce the through traffic on their quiet street.

   The bypass keeps through traffic away from the town center.

   The road is closed to through traffic during the festival.

2. 2noununcountabletechnical

   Traffic, such as trains or signals, allowed to continue along its route without making stops or turns.

   Grammar: Used mainly in transport; often on signs.

   Patterns

   • through traffic only

   Through traffic uses the middle lanes of the highway.

   Signs told drivers that through traffic must keep right.

   The junction gives priority to through traffic.

Common combinations

no through traffic

The sign said no through traffic beyond the school.

heavy through traffic

Heavy through traffic makes the village noisy.

divert through traffic

Police diverted through traffic around the accident.

ban through traffic

The council voted to ban through traffic from the lane.

through traffic only

The right lane is for through traffic only.

Synonyms and how they differ

transit traffic

Transit traffic is more formal and common in planning documents, whereas through traffic is the everyday term on signs.

passing traffic

Passing traffic is looser and can include any vehicles going by, while through traffic stresses that they do not stop.

local traffic

Local traffic is the opposite idea, meaning vehicles that begin or end their trips in the area.

Opposites

Word family

traffic noun

vehicles moving along roads

through road noun

a road that leads from one place to another

through route noun

a road used to cross an area

Commonly confused: through traffic or through road?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “through traffic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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