Commuters' wasted time in traffic costs $121B

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by jakobnev

It is going down:

If true, it's way past due!

[PaleMelanesian]

Back to the original topic of wasted time in traffic, that is a very real problem that needs to be addressed. It is getting worse, too. How do we fix the problem we already have?

My personal solution is to live where it's not a problem.

[Frank Lee]

I thought I was out in the middle of nowhere, the very edge of civilization... but high traffic has invaded my neighborhood and will get exponentially worse this year.

Re: My town: Rather than ignore quality of life and land use issues by putting a bypass through a residential area, the two major employers- located right next to each other- could alleviate most short-term congestion by simply staggering shift times... DAH! Additionally, it seems one of those employers' purpose in life is to drag/entice as many people here to the middle of nowhere as possible, because to that one growing one's own cluster**** is the most awesomest thing ever, instead of simply locating to any number of existing cluster****s. BTW that business already has multiple locations; why they don't concentrate on the urban ones for future expansion is beyond me.

The other approach is to simply have an awareness of neighborhood quality of life issues and put a damned shortcut where it will do the most good AND not cut through established residential areas. The city pays some monkey $100,000/year to not be smart enough to do what I laid out in one sentence.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Boil the frog slowly, breeders... :/

I'm not a breeder. In other news, the U.S. would have a negative population growth if it weren't for immigration. The "problem" of population growth will be resolved in much less dramatic fashion, as evidenced by many developed nations.

Originally Posted by jakobnev

A man could make a fortune by getting a vendors licence and a little cart, and standing by the highway during congestion, selling time.

Exactly what people do in just about every country south of the U.S., sans vendors license. None of them struck me as having made a great fortune.

The American spin on the idea is to stand out near traffic, but instead of offering a good or service, just expect money for nothing.

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Back to the original topic of wasted time in traffic, that is a very real problem that needs to be addressed. It is getting worse, too. How do we fix the problem we already have?

My personal solution is to live where it's not a problem.

The first step will be smarter traffic control devices. Traffic signals will be networked and a centralized management strategy will control the timing to increase flow efficiency. The existing induction sensors in the road will monitor traffic volume and the system will get "smarter" and begin altering timing to further increase efficiency.

Beyond this, cars will drive themselves and coordinate movement to maximize safety and efficiency. This will greatly increase efficiency as the current behavior of drivers constantly changing lanes is inefficient and slows everyone down.

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

...could alleviate most short-term congestion by simply staggering shift times...

Very good suggestion. I don't know why everyone works 8am-5pm. Most office work doesn't even require people to commute, and doesn't demand that people arrive all at the same time. This old habit will have to change.

[XYZ]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

The American spin on the idea is to stand out near traffic, but instead of offering a good or service, just expect money for nothing.

We've become a nation of panhandlers and prostitutes...

The first step will be smarter traffic control devices. Traffic signals will be networked and a centralized management strategy will control the timing to increase flow efficiency. The existing induction sensors in the road will monitor traffic volume and the system will get "smarter" and begin altering timing to further increase efficiency.

It won't help much if the light turns green and the semi-comatose driver at the head of the line sits there until the light turns red again. Or, as usually happens, eventually when he awakens HE gets through the light, but no one else does.

Beyond this, cars will drive themselves and coordinate movement to maximize safety and efficiency. This will greatly increase efficiency as the current behavior of drivers constantly changing lanes is inefficient and slows everyone down.

That takes what little fun out of driving there is. At that point we aren't really driving any more, if the car is doing the driving. Might as well take the bus. The only difference is that you won't be forced to sit next to rabble or wait for the bus to come.

Very good suggestion. I don't know why everyone works 8am-5pm. Most office work doesn't even require people to commute, and doesn't demand that people arrive all at the same time. This old habit will have to change.

We thought it would change with the advent of the web with the capability of more people working in cyberspace. It hasn't happened. Bosses like dominating their employees in person. Also people like being crowded into close proximity with each other. Misery loves company...

[razor02097]

There was a study in 2011 that found Americans on average burn 19 gallons of fuel sitting in traffic in 2011. 19 gallons!.. That is 1 + 3/4 tank for my vehicle!

America is wasting billions sitting in soul-crushing traffic - Economy Watch on NBCNews.com

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by XYZ

That takes what little fun out of driving there is. At that point we aren't really driving any more, if the car is doing the driving. Might as well take the bus. The only difference is that you won't be forced to sit next to rabble or wait for the bus to come.

One other MAJOR benefit is that this "bus" runs on your route and your schedule.

[jakobnev]

How about instead of self-driving cars we make self-driving beds? No need to sit in traffic for god knows how long, just stretch out your arm for a fresh cup from the office coffee maker when you wake up.

And let's change the dress code too, from suits to pyjamas! Why are we wasting time changing clothes before they have had enough time on our bodies to get dirty?

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by LeanBurn

So what if the population grows? There is enough on this earth and to spare. You will find that those that all for population control quickly are silenced when they are called upon to start off the selective "herd thinning"...with themselves.

Wrong twice. First, there isn't room enough on this Earth to provide a decent life - by which I mean something above the human equivalent of cattle feedlots - for even a fraction of the current population. Second, I practice, and have practiced, the population control I advocate, since I have never had children.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

U.S. birth rate lowest since 1920: Blame the economy? - CBS News



Fact Sheet: The Decline in U.S. Fertility - Population Reference Bureau


Census Bureau Lowers U.S. Growth Forecast, Mainly Due to Reduced Immigration and Births

All of which can be filed under the title "How To Lie With Statistics", perhaps cross-referenced under "How To Lie By Telling Part of the Truth". Despite attempts at misdirection, those graphs still show the unfortunate truth, which is that the US population just keeps on growing.

I hope you can accept basic arithmetic: both 399.8 million and 439 million are larger than 313 millon, are they not? So claiming that the population is not growing, and will not continue to grow absent some drastic change, is at best wishful thinking, despite the misleading negative numbers on the graph. Now if the predicted population for 2050 was 260 million, that would be a population decrease.