What is Digg?199 Comments
- GerryDaman, on 10/12/2007, -5/+151The best feeling is pulling up to a red light next to the idiot who just sped by you 5 minutes ago.
- niner9, on 10/12/2007, -2/+122I've done this technique many times. Seems to work, but usually get the one finger salute as the guy behind me rips into the other lane and flys by me.
- Mootabolife, on 10/12/2007, -12/+96Wait.. so the author is implying that by not competing, and sharing road resources, that everyone benefits?
Didn't we see this fail in Russia? =D - curios, on 10/12/2007, -4/+70yeh, in my experience people overtake and fill in the gap, often with beeping and hostility.
They're obviously too stupid to understand what you are doing. - dattaway, on 10/12/2007, -0/+59My grandmother was a seasoned expert at this. You could often see her vehicle on the live footage from the local television helicopters covering the mass traffic jams on I-5.
- ihsubandos, on 10/12/2007, -5/+59Also being doing this for a while, and as niner9 says, there's always someone who cuts into the gap
- MasterDirk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+54Do what I do - wear a hat when driving.
For some reason, people assume that you're somehow strange when you're driving with a hat, and excuse this kind of driving. So they benefit, and they don't flip me off (as much). - SIDSI, on 10/12/2007, -6/+51This isn't a hack you're supposed to drive at a even pace.
- arizonagroove, on 10/12/2007, -3/+48Even better is when you cruise past the idiot as they are waiting for the stationary queue they joined to move off whilst you arrived at the lights just as they've turned green so unlike them, you didn't stop.
- krinthekuz, on 09/16/2008, -0/+38agreed - drive like this in miami and you will be cut off so many times, you'll be putting yourself in conditions for accidents
- Hugh-Jass, on 10/12/2007, -4/+40I live in Seattle - you could get shot for this.
- Easty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+33What kind of hat?
I think a rather fetching bowler hat would do nicely. - comradeTJH, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29most probably a police hat.
- catmistake, on 10/12/2007, -3/+32I've tried this all over, DC Beltway, Austin MOPAC, LA 101, and even though it really would pretty much eliminate traffic if everyone attempted to do this, the DMV must teach people to ride bumpers in traffic, and abhore the space between vehicles and eliminate it by speeding up to a parked bumber, because that's the way everyone else drives.
Try this experiment... one morning, when you go to work, take your time on every driving decision, slow accelleration to save gas, stick to but don't go over the speed limit... take your time and don't rush, but time how long it takes from your driveway to your parking spot. Then the next day, burn all the stops to work, timing yourself. You'll see that the times are so close that you may never want to rush again. To guess, an average 20 min commute you can shave off just a min or 2 by rushing, and only lose a couple minutes by taking your time. The shorter the commute, the closer the times. I guess if you've got a 2 hour commute, you just have to speed though. - MacsBaine, on 10/12/2007, -1/+27As long as you're doing this in the right lane you shouldn't be getting the finger.
- Rigbymatt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23yes but this is digg
any article relating to the changing of an object or system from the norm, including anything outside of the computer realm, is referred to as a Hack or Mod - BlackLineFish, on 10/12/2007, -1/+22I have an idea about hacking traffic. We need to implement a traffic system using Digg technology. Someone does something dangerous and stupid and you Digg them down. Someone else lets you merge, Digg them up. Wireless technology and a few buttons ought to do it - and their score is displayed on the car. It should not transfer with the driver, either - but stay with the car. Imagine hearing "no way are you borrowing my truck, I saw the score on your Honda!" Also, when a Trooper ends up behind someone with a -300 score, they won't cut them any slack for weaving or something.
The psychology of approval forces people to cooperate. Only sociopaths wouldn't work for approval. The industrial psychology aspect of driving and traffic has always amazed me. For the most part, I think it is because people do not feel very accountable for their actions in the anonymity of driving.
--gh - foolonthehill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20I remember when I first had this concept introduced to me, applied to a queue of people rather than cars. I was with my dad at the NEC, queuing for some big exhibition (a Tomorrow's World one, I think). The queue itself was huge because we got there before opening time, and it extended around the entire perimeter of a neighbouring, unused, exhibition hall. This meant the entire queue was in view and you could actally see all the waves. Then my dad started walking slower and explaned to me what he was doing, and 'lo and behold I could see that we we smoothing out the waves for all of the people behind us. funnily enough I remember this better than anything in the exhibition we were going to...
- blflm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19HINT: make sure you do this right by a semi, they normally use this technique and you can force another lane to do it as well :)
- gdelia928, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19yea ive done this myself its alot less stressful than the stop and go, but you do tend to get alot of flack from the people behind you and thosein other lanes jump into yours.
- ratbastid, on 10/12/2007, -3/+21Part of his strategy is to ENCOURAGE other cars to merge in front of you. Closed-up traffic that prevents smooth merging is one major cause of traffic jams. He asserts that keeping a several-car-length space in front of you and encouraging drivers to freely merge into that space speeds up average speed for all drivers. AND it doesn't take everybody doing it for it to work--even one or a few cars can make a serious dent in traffic slowdowns.
- jediboytj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19this is something they really need to teach in drivers ed.
I use this technique a lot in rush hour traffic, but not so much for 'eliminating' traffic waves behind me, but because i hate constantly hitting my brakes, so i just move at a pace where i can just pretty much drift my way forward without ever touching my brakes.
you see semi's do this all the time too. - 574lk3r, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18ive been doing this for years in the uk too,
i thought we were supposed to.
plus it makes a fun, if a little sad, game. - lazyplayboy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+20Conversely: "Even better is when you overtake someone who is going unnecessarily slowly, you go through the lights just before they go red and the guy you overtook has to stop...".
Swings and roundabouts. Sometimes overtaking doesn't get you there quicker, sometimes it does. On average thought, you get to your destination quicker. So long as you're safe. - fishdan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17this strategy should only be performed in the right most lane. The left lane is not for driving, it's for passing. A much simpler technique would be to follow the rule: "You can only be in the left lane unless there is no one behind you. If there is another car within 5 car lengths and approaching, you are obligated to move into the right lane to let this car pass."
Following this simple rule would alleviate almost ALL traffic problems. Nothing is worse than 2 cars driving the same speed adjacent to each other, with a line of cars behind them. Or the jerk driving 60 in the left lane, when the speed limit is 55, who refuses to get over.
If people are passing you on the right, you are part of the problem. PLEASE DON'T DRIVE in the left lane. - andburn1, on 10/12/2007, -8/+22It's not a "hack." Try not to let your geek show too much.
- analgesia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13In Holland the traffic authorities uses this method. They call it 'blokrijden' (or freely translated 'block-driving').
When traffic jams are about to happen a roadinspector drives in the middle of the road and sets the pace. This prevents unnecessary accelerating and breaking. When the flow of traffic is normal again he leaves the road.
dutch link:
http://www.regering.nl/actueel/nieuwsarchief/2005/07July/14/blokrijden.jsp - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"Just one single "lubricant atom" had a profound effect on the turbulent particle flow within the entire miles of "tube.""
Maybe he can even find a way to lubricate the tubes of the internets. - MicroBerto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11The thing is that you can only control traffic that is BEHIND you... and that's why nobody cares to do it.
However, your comment is the reason why you still should -- it's a lot less stressful. I play games with myself to see how long I can go without braking. But I don't get so extreme that there's loads of space ahead of me. - Hazardc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12iit even pisses me off when i have to pass people in the right lane because they dont move out of the left lane ...ever.
Then they wonder why people are honking at them, apparently never seeing the big signs in most states that says "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT" - VeganG, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Unfortunately, in L.A. if the gap is a mere single-car-length, you can be assured that someone is going to take it. I hate it... every time I try to drive with a safe distance between me and the car in front of me, some ***** takes that as an invitation to squeeze in.
- AlfaWolph, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11This really isn't anything new. Traffic researchers have written about the wave effect phenomenom since the eighties.
As for myself, I try to smooth out the wave when it's effective: during light traffic or on a single lane street. I don't like to stop and brake and prefer to cruise on through.. But more often than not, however, it's a busy street with multiple lanes where people race around you to get to see who can get to the red light first. Which, of course, this clogs the whole system up all over again. Sometimes I wanna say to these people, "Congratulations, you win!! ..a trip to the brake shop sooner!"
Also, in some municipalities here, traffic engineers have timed the street lights on the main arteries to never go red if you drive the speed limit. The same amateur racers screw up those well engineered attempts for everyone, too.
This is a good article describing how to hack this phenomenom, but it will really only work if more people would be willing to apply it. - rickypc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10oops sorry i hit u on the road...i was busy digging
- Barryke, on 10/12/2007, -7/+17only in the usa.
- foolonthehill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8No they don't. The point is made in several places throughout TFA. In one lane traffic you only need *one* driver to do it. On roads with more than one lane, you only need a small proportion of drivers doing it to make a difference.
- WaterDragon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I liked your hack of the comments section!
- turbotron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9It's an interesting article, but the average driver couldn't care less about clearing up traffic for people behind him, he just wants to get through the traffic as fast as possible for himself. Altruism and highways will never really mix. Maybe unmarked cop cars could be conscripted to do this job instead of going on donut runs?
- geeksgirl, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11Yes. I always enjoy watching the guy in the expensive/"cool"/modified/status symbol car weaving in & out of gaps, cutting people off, just to get a couple of seconds ahead of me-at the same red light. Congratulations, you beat us all to the -RED LIGHT. I watch those cars to see what happens and they never really get that much ahead.
P.S. I actually have a little roadster that handles great and is fun to drive. But, I don't have to drive like an idiot to enjoy it. - willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8How about this.
Everybody gets a dart gun. It fires darts that have little flags with the word 'stupid' on them.
If you get too many stupid flags, the cops give you a 'stupid' ticket. - monticello, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10People from Westchester don't go to Jersey
- forcedfx, on 10/12/2007, -7/+13I've tried doing this and have had limited success. A gap larger than 1 car length gets filled rather quickly in NJ by some guido coming down from NY to pollute our beaches..
- Rigbymatt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7regular licenses dont really require much effort to get. I read the handbook once, slept through drivers ed, perfect score on my test.
My dad took the CDL this year, spent hours studying, hes a great driver, failed it 3 times.
Semis doing this makes sense, they know the road. - xidica, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8If only they could teach this to all the drivers in Dallas...
- growlzor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Ha ha I would love to see someone try this in southern california. The traffic is so tight and slow you'd have to sit still in traffic for 5 minutes in order to create somewhat of a gap and by that time 10 other cars would have taken your place.
- Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Here's a problem with this guy's logic. While he's absolutely right, if everyone behaved more sanely on the highways, everyone would get to their destinations more quickly and more safely, it's not about "everyone." It's about "me."
From TFA FAQ:
"If I try to become the "vengance police" and punish the cheaters who zoom ahead, then I close up ranks and stop all merges. Closed ranks create traffic jams. "Cheaters" don't trigger traffic jams, it's the people who try to punish the cheaters who do it."
Great, then if everyone follows his rules, it becomes more advantageous for *me* to be a cheater. I will get to my destination more quickly if I speed ahead than if I do not.
He's proposing highway altruism, but forgetting to realize something. When I go more slowly, allowing other traffic to merge in front of me, I am sacrificing my own drive time for the sake of others. When *other people* go more slowly, allowing other traffic to merge in front of *them,* I arrive at my destination more quickly. Therefore, there is no incentive for me to employ these tactics myself, and every incentive to get other people to employ them. - kevin.gc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8The only flaw that I see with this technique is when you allow a long line of people to merge in front of you, which makes you stop and initiates a huge traffic wave starting with you.
- zapfastnet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7i agree with niner9
this theory seems to be applicable only to roads with a single lane of traffic.
I agree with the theory and try to practice it myself
but the large amount of people zipping around me
and then braking seems to frustrate the effort.
I believe if a critical mass of drivers would adopt this behavior
then this may begin to work on multi lane roads.
I conjecture that this number might be as low as 5 to 10% of drivers.
Of course traffic flow on multilane roads would improve dramatically
if drivers would follow the road's design concept of
"slower traffic keep right" & "pass on the left"
(~):-} - kokorhekkus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@ Easty
I think a really rumpled Panama hat should get the message across. - arizonagroove, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6There's a motorway here in England called the M25 where they reduce the speed limits during heavy traffic based on the theory that it keeps the traffic flowing at a steady pace rather than grinding to a halt in certain areas.
- afx1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6We'll see how well this works on the 405N tomorrow at 7:30AM with the never ending construction going on.
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