Quote:
Originally Posted by tjts1
... less traffic jams and (OMG!) better fleet wide fuel economy because we won't be stuck in stop and go traffic all the time. Higher speeds are also a cheap way of increasing the capacity of existing freeways without having to add more lanes of traffic, something nobody wants to talk about.
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This is patently false. The highway has a limit to how many cars it can hold at once, not how many that can move across it, and this causes a small number of the traffic jams. Making them move across it faster will NOT solve this. However, if you have ever taken classes on traffic jams (I have not) or standing wave theories which apply directly to traffic jams (I have) then you will be well aware that the issues actually develop from lane shifting to exit the highway and lower speeds entering the highway. Advancing the speed limit will exacerbate the speed differential causing the same traffic jams quicker. To solve most traffic jams you need fewer exits and entrances and allow traffic to enter the flow at the same speed. Changing a speed limit will not do this.