amasci.com— This amateur scientist has devised a way to singlehandely reduce traffic jams during your commute. It is golden advice for dealing with holiday traffic.
Nov 25, 2006View in Crawl 4
One of the reasons driving smoothly works to alleviate traffic behind you is because you're not on the brakes as much. People tend to apply the brakes when they see brake lights come on ahead of them which exacerbates the wave effect. I've actually witnessed the birth of a traffic jam ghost. We've all been through traffic where you get to a point and suddenly realize that traffic is opening up even though there is no apparent cause at that point. All it takes is one car to cut off another car causing a couple cars to jam on the brakes. If you're lucky enough (or unlucky) to happen to witness it, within a couple minutes you'll start to see traffic bunch up into waves of brake lights.
the problem attempting to be solved is called the tradgedy of the commons.To the the authors strategy effective you must play "defense" against "cheaters" who want to create traffic waves so they can gain a few car lengths advantage over their neighbors.When you play "defense" you watch for people coming from behind who want to cut in front of you. When you see these people you temporarily sacrifice your cushion to keep them from advancing. At the very least, this has the advantage of rewarding all the folks behind you who are not weaving through lanes and creating traffic waves to gain a few car lengths distance.
It does not make much of a difference to you. You stop less often, your average speed remains the same and you get to your destination about at the same time you would without using these tips. The change is in the traffic behind you where per mile you have more cars closely packed. If all lanes had drivers doing the same thing it would even out and you would get there faster.It is also important to remember that driving below the average speed causes a slow down.
This also works at stop lights. If you come up to a stop light slow enough so that you don't stop, you and all the cars behind you will flow smoothly through. Also, if for no other reason, using this method of keeping a gap will improve your gas mileage. My rule is not to keep a gap but to never stop. Keeping a gap in heavier traffic is merely an extension of that rule.
I remember watching some TV show similar to this. Not trying tou sound like the "goody-goody" here, but it explained that if you follow the speed limit in a heavy traffic light area, you won't have to stop quite as frequently. That's because the lights are programmed to switch at intervals according to the speed.In a speed limit zone of 35MPH, the lights change from red to green every 6 seconds, therefore by staying at the speed limit designated lets you hit a row of green lights, without having to stop.I've tried it out myself. It works.
This is amazing, and explains something I've noticed in the past few years: I haven't encountered any significant construction merge-lane stop-and-go congestion, and I think it's because I got into the habit of getting into the thru-lane as soon as I saw the lane-closure signs, and then slowing down to the work-zone speed limit when those signs appeared. Since most other drivers were still going faster, this had the effect of creating the traffic hole the article's author describes, the cars in the merge lane could merge, and by the time I got to the lane closure any prior congestion must have evaporated.This wouldn't necessarily help for ad-hoc closures caused by accidents, but if congestion-prone highways had changeable message signs installed every half-mile or so, which could be programmed to inform drivers 2 or 3 miles away to merge and slow down in advance of an accident, it might smooth out the problems.My philosophy is, you don't fight the traffic, you learn to flow with it. If you're in the interchange lane and someone's approaching on the on-ramp, you act like a gear tooth and let them in ahead of you if they're ahead of you. (I do get pissed at jerks who deliberately pass me and then immediately exit, though.)
i really just wish people moved over if they are in the "fast" lane and not passing. Missouri has a huge problem with this.but yes if youre not trying to be aggressive and get there asap driving with the appropriate spacing (for safty reasons as well) im sure it helps.
vegangNov 26, 2006
"City drivers know to never block intersections...."This guy should visit L.A. sometime, to be proven way wrong.
posnegNov 27, 2006
Like several other smart people, I've been doing this for years.
kernelhappyNov 27, 2006
One of the reasons driving smoothly works to alleviate traffic behind you is because you're not on the brakes as much. People tend to apply the brakes when they see brake lights come on ahead of them which exacerbates the wave effect. I've actually witnessed the birth of a traffic jam ghost. We've all been through traffic where you get to a point and suddenly realize that traffic is opening up even though there is no apparent cause at that point. All it takes is one car to cut off another car causing a couple cars to jam on the brakes. If you're lucky enough (or unlucky) to happen to witness it, within a couple minutes you'll start to see traffic bunch up into waves of brake lights.
smartydebaterNov 28, 2006
They should start teaching this technique in drivers ed so drivers learn how to not cause traffic jams.
jonathan95060Nov 28, 2006
the problem attempting to be solved is called the tradgedy of the commons.To the the authors strategy effective you must play "defense" against "cheaters" who want to create traffic waves so they can gain a few car lengths advantage over their neighbors.When you play "defense" you watch for people coming from behind who want to cut in front of you. When you see these people you temporarily sacrifice your cushion to keep them from advancing. At the very least, this has the advantage of rewarding all the folks behind you who are not weaving through lanes and creating traffic waves to gain a few car lengths distance.
zaznetNov 28, 2006
It does not make much of a difference to you. You stop less often, your average speed remains the same and you get to your destination about at the same time you would without using these tips. The change is in the traffic behind you where per mile you have more cars closely packed. If all lanes had drivers doing the same thing it would even out and you would get there faster.It is also important to remember that driving below the average speed causes a slow down.
scottamusNov 29, 2006
This also works at stop lights. If you come up to a stop light slow enough so that you don't stop, you and all the cars behind you will flow smoothly through. Also, if for no other reason, using this method of keeping a gap will improve your gas mileage. My rule is not to keep a gap but to never stop. Keeping a gap in heavier traffic is merely an extension of that rule.
devgrusealNov 30, 2006
I remember watching some TV show similar to this. Not trying tou sound like the "goody-goody" here, but it explained that if you follow the speed limit in a heavy traffic light area, you won't have to stop quite as frequently. That's because the lights are programmed to switch at intervals according to the speed.In a speed limit zone of 35MPH, the lights change from red to green every 6 seconds, therefore by staying at the speed limit designated lets you hit a row of green lights, without having to stop.I've tried it out myself. It works.
pkapDec 4, 2006
This is amazing, and explains something I've noticed in the past few years: I haven't encountered any significant construction merge-lane stop-and-go congestion, and I think it's because I got into the habit of getting into the thru-lane as soon as I saw the lane-closure signs, and then slowing down to the work-zone speed limit when those signs appeared. Since most other drivers were still going faster, this had the effect of creating the traffic hole the article's author describes, the cars in the merge lane could merge, and by the time I got to the lane closure any prior congestion must have evaporated.This wouldn't necessarily help for ad-hoc closures caused by accidents, but if congestion-prone highways had changeable message signs installed every half-mile or so, which could be programmed to inform drivers 2 or 3 miles away to merge and slow down in advance of an accident, it might smooth out the problems.My philosophy is, you don't fight the traffic, you learn to flow with it. If you're in the interchange lane and someone's approaching on the on-ramp, you act like a gear tooth and let them in ahead of you if they're ahead of you. (I do get pissed at jerks who deliberately pass me and then immediately exit, though.)
zedomaxDec 4, 2006
tried it today and works!
incomMay 9, 2007
i really just wish people moved over if they are in the "fast" lane and not passing. Missouri has a huge problem with this.but yes if youre not trying to be aggressive and get there asap driving with the appropriate spacing (for safty reasons as well) im sure it helps.
ronintetsuroMay 10, 2007
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