Definition

Noun: A road that forms a complete loop around a town or city, allowing traffic to bypass the city center.

Usage

A "ring road" is a major road built to divert through-traffic away from the congested central streets of a city. It is designed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in the urban core.

Examples

• The city's ring road is often faster than taking streets through downtown.
• To avoid the festival traffic, take the ring road.
• The new ring road has significantly reduced truck traffic in the city center.

Advanced Usage

• "Inner/Outer ring road": Some large cities have multiple concentric ring roads. The one closer to the center is the inner ring road, and a larger, more distant one is the outer ring road.
  • The accident caused delays on the outer ring road.

Variants and Related Words

• Beltway (noun, chiefly US): A highway that encircles an urban area; a synonym for "ring road."
  • The Washington Beltway surrounds the capital.
• Orbital (noun, chiefly UK): A term sometimes used for a major ring road, especially around London (e.g., the M25 orbital motorway).
• Bypass (noun): A road that passes around a town or its center. While similar, a bypass may not form a complete circle.
  • We took the bypass to avoid the town.

Synonyms

• Circular road
• Loop highway
• Perimeter highway

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "To live inside/outside the ring road": This phrase can describe a person's location relative to the city and sometimes implies a socioeconomic or lifestyle difference.
  • Property prices are generally higher inside the ring road.

Noun

1. a highway that encircles an urban area so that traffic does not have to pass through the center