The traffic is heavy. vs The traffic is busy.

Both phrases are correct and commonly used to describe a situation where there is a lot of traffic. 'The traffic is heavy' emphasizes the congestion and slow movement of vehicles, while 'the traffic is busy' implies a high volume of vehicles moving around. Deciding which phrase to use is dependent upon the particular context and the type of nuance that is desired.

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Last updated: July 18, 2024 • 55716 views

The traffic is heavy.

This phrase is correct and commonly used to describe a situation where there is a lot of traffic, emphasizing congestion and slow movement of vehicles.

This phrase is used to convey the idea of a significant amount of traffic causing delays and congestion on the roads.

Examples:

I'm running late because the traffic is heavy today.
Avoid the highway, the traffic is heavy due to an accident.
The traffic is heavy during rush hour.
We need to find an alternate route because the traffic is heavy on this road.
The traffic is heavy near the city center.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 24, 2024

Jun 8, 2014 ... "The traffic is heavy" seems more idiomatic to me, but busy works, in a more literal sense. (But that's why "the traffic is light" is the ...
Oct 29, 2023 ... The traffic is heavy indicates that the traffic is dense or congested. It emphasizes the volume and sluggish movement of vehicles on the ...
Mar 1, 2024 ... I assumed when the light was green, it was obvious. Some other comments have issue with (if the traffic is heavy) remaining in the intersection ...
Mar 26, 2015 ... And which adjective of "light/good/little" should I use? And if the traffic situation is the opposite, do you say "the traffic is heavy/bad" or ...
Jan 25, 2023 ... ... the traffic is heavy. A bumper to bumper traffic idiomatically ... A situation where there are alot of vehicles on the road and they move very ...
Jul 21, 2018 ... How is the traffic heading towards downtown LA from the airport around 5-6pm? If the traffic is heavy, where would you recommend we head to ...
Oct 28, 2016 ... The Kenai River is a popular place to fish, for many reasons. There are times of the year in which the traffic is heavy, both on shore as ...
Jun 22, 2021 ... If the traffic is heavy, maybe stop for a light dinner first. Liars N F ·. 3 years ago. San Diego, California · 22,579 forum posts. #5 of 19 ...
Apr 8, 2015 ... Here's my view on this: when the traffic is heavy, and I'm uncertain about clearing the intersection before lights turned red for me, I ...
Sep 17, 2021 ... Stay the course and do not leave the highway because the traffic is heavy. The narrow country road through our NH small towns were never ...

Alternatives:

the traffic is congested.
the traffic is backed up.
the traffic is gridlocked.
the traffic is moving slowly.
the traffic is at a standstill.

The traffic is busy.

This phrase is correct and commonly used to describe a situation where there is a high volume of vehicles moving around, without necessarily implying congestion.

This phrase is used to convey the idea of a lot of vehicles on the road, possibly moving quickly and actively.