In your average city builder, you play as an almighty God Mayor who does not have to listen or interact at all with his citizens, he has complete power of life and death over them and can shape the city at will. Except for Traffic, the most powerful force in the universe and the only thing that actually matters to simulate in a city simulator. Everything else is just a backdrop for Traffic.
the citizenry knowing this spend as much time as they can using cars as their primary mode of transportation as they know this causes the most Traffic, and when a route they want to use is clogged every day they make sure to never detour