When I start playing again, I want to get out of the grid mindset and use mods for a better looking city, that's efficient. Treat industry like traffic - go from the major input/output of ships/trains/planes into smaller zones for manufacturing, which trickles out to stores - and have thoroughfares for trucks to use to get there, with no stoplights and freeways if needed. What works better is not clumping all your industry in one zone - it's too much traffic in and out of it, better to spread it out, have small pockets that feed each area with goods.

I found the ones near industry get clogged up anyway, especially with trucks that just want to cross the freeway - I played around with a bypass on either side that goes below the cross-freeway, seems to help a little. All 90 degree intersections between larger than 2-lane roads will be handled by small or large roundabouts but I will keep my largely grid-style building in place.I did this with my city - they work great on a grid, and flat land, but they're hard to get right on slopes. My goal is to have a completely intersection-stop-light-free city. They also serve to move traffic from side to side of the expressway as you can enter on the industrial side and, without ever entering the highway, go to the other side (there are also tunnels and walking paths between). I'm using raised large roundabouts as my entrances/exits off of the expressway.

Cities skylines elevate roads