Follow Up: Clearing Traffic Jams

More thoughts on improving traffic. First there was the idea that traffic signals and signs may be the cause of congestion and not the solution and then there was an example of how drivers react when traffic lights are removed.

So it may be possible to ease congestion, increase traffic flow, and cut down on accidents and wasted time by removing traffic lights and unnecessary traffic signs. That's great for city traffic. What about highways?

What happens when those wide open stretches of asphalt become parking lots? When there are many lanes of horrible traffic jams? What about those small jams that appear out of nowhere with no rhyme or reason? Is there a way to get rid of those and make the commute easier?

William Beatty may have the answer. The answer may be that even a single driver can erase those stop and go traffic jams.

Yes.... erase. As in remove completely.

First he explains that they aren't so much jams as traffic waves. If a car is slowed down then the one behind it slows down and so on. A wave of slow cars interrupts the flow of traffic. Then he explains one way of making the waves vanish. Don't be part of the wave - disrupt it by driving a constant speed behind those cars in front of you that are doing the "stop and go" thing. He then goes on to look at the slowdowns that occur when lanes merge.

This isn't just a theory. He has video to prove it works. Just taking the time to remove the wave helps smooth out traffic behind. Maybe one driver can make a difference on the highway.

And if you want to learn more about how traffic works and what can be done about it he has a page of links to information, theory, traffic simulators, and lots of other resources.

We may never get rid of congestions while there are cars on the road and we may not be able to get rid of wasted gas and time on the highway or in the city. But it's nice to know that drivers can help make things better on the roads.

Follow Up: Drivers Without Traffic Lights?

Maybe it would be a good idea to remove some traffic signals and signs on the roads. After all maybe people would act like adults and be careful and share the roads.

There's only one way to find out. Turn off the lights and see what happens. Martin Cassini started the FiT Roads site which advocates for the removal of traffic lights.

The only way to find out what happens when you remove traffic lights is to... well... remove traffic lights. Two videos by FiT show what can happen. Part 1: Roads unfit for people and Part 2: Roads FiT for People show how dramatic the change can be. Contrary to many people's expectations drivers are willing to share the road and act responsibly. Not to say that the results are perfect. FiT's own video points out at least one potential shortcoming of the project. Still... it's an experiment worth taking seriously.

Counterintuitive thinking at it's best. Now with real world proof.

Counterintuitive Thinking at Its Best - Traffic

How would you control traffic and drivers? How would you make roads safer? How would you lower the number of accidents and control speeding? How would you make drivers act like responsible adults instead of selfish children?

If you ignore the last question the answer would seem to be: more signs, more intersections, more speed bumps, and more ways to restrict and control traffic. All that seems the right thing to do. Treat drivers like moronic children who don't know what to do and force them to follow the rules.

What if the answer is completely the opposite. What if fewer signs are used? What if roads are changed to alter behaviour? What if we treat drivers like responsible adults?

The Traffic Guru gives an overview of the ideas of Hans Monderman. He thought that the best way to influence traffic was not to try and impose crushing control. Quite the opposite. I have no idea if we'll ever get ideas like those put in place on a large scale but it would be an interesting experiment.

Who knows, it's so crazy it just might work.