Quote:
Originally Posted by JacobAziza
Timed meaning all the lights along the street are timed in a pattern relative to each other.
When the city sets up a main street this way, if you drive at the speed limit, after you get a green light, you will hit every other green all the way down the street.
The sensors are good too; then the main through street stays green always unless there is actually cross traffic.
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Ah, thank you; In that case, as far as I can tell, the lights aren't timed on the routes I normally take (suburban). And one thing I've been noticing is that there are a number of lights that stay solid "don't walk" (unless the button is pressed) making it hard to judge when the yellow is coming. Also, too many of the lights are intersections of main streets, so both streets have about equal traffic.
As for different techniques, now that I made a hand throttle, it's easy to DWL on the freeway or lightless stretches. I'll P&G using EOC, in town only (with exception of a big hill on the freeway); mostly pulsing up and gliding down hills and staying +/-5mph of the speed limit. I find it difficult to DWB: I don't want to be too much of a hinderance to other cars; when there's not other vehicles around I'll coast more, but I often still end up having to use a good bit of brake or engine braking.
I don't have a scan gauge or a 'guino, so with only tank by tank feedback alot of what I'm doing is guesswork. I probably ought to drive "normally" for a tank since I don't even have a baseline and the new epa #s seem ridiculously low (24/31 for a compact car).
I know what you mean about less lights and rural roads: I went about an hour out of town to help a friend move this morning, and in the 10+ miles between the highway and his house I don't think there was even 2 stoplights, though there was what appeared to be an unnecessary 3 (all)-way stop at a T junction. Coming out of his subdivision there were a few more stopsigns, but if that was the majority of my mileage I'd probably be getting 40+mpg! (my displayed average is a bit skewed right now from a long trip, and I don't have many tanks recorded yet.)