Were traffic jams common in cities before the age of automobiles? In any city, in any time period, were there cases of carts or horses struggling to make it through streets due to heavy traffic?

by Vladith

I'd like examples not of parades or processions, but simply congestion from daily transit and commuting. Were any laws put in place to limit the amount of vehicles and animals on the road?

Searocksandtrees

hi! additional information is welcome, but FYI there have been similar questions, so check these out for previous responses:

How long has traffic been around? Has it only been around since the advent of the automobile?...

There were more than a million people living in Rome in the year 210. How exactly could such a huge city function in a time before cars or subways? How did transportation work? Did Rome have horse-traffic jams?

Was there such a thing as a traffic jam before automobiles?

As for traffic controls, there may be something of interest in this FAQ section:

Traffic