what is a ring road

A ring road is a road or a series of connected roads that encircle a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to reduce traffic volumes in the urban center by offering an alternate route around the city for drivers who do not need to stop in the city core. Ring roads can also serve to connect suburbs to each other, allowing efficient travel between them. The name "ring road" is used for the majority of metropolitan circumferential routes in Europe, such as the Berliner Ring, the Brussels Ring, and the Amsterdam Ring. In Australia, Pakistan, and India, the term ring road is also used, as in Melbournes Western Ring Road, Lahore's Lahore Ring Road, and Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road. In the United States, the term "beltway" is commonly used. Ring roads became a common infrastructure in the development of large metropolitan areas from the 1960s, and their impact on the urban spatial structure is mainly through inciting radial development patterns and the setting of commercial, residential, and industrial activities near highway interchanges.