Traffic Jam Busting - Love This Site and Video

[Matt Herring]

This may have been posted previously but I just came across it and wanted to share...good info. and a great vid on Traffic Jam Busting...

TRAFFIC WAVE EXPERIMENTS

[JacobAziza]

That website is down, but it is a fantastic video. In case anyone stumbles here looking for it, you can find it now at:

Breaking Up a Traffic Jam! - Video

[euromodder]

A gap like that would last under 2s around here ...

[Kodak]

Yeah, man. This is the video that first really got me thinking about traffic flow. Amazing stuff.

Buffers can be tough to maintain, but it's a much more relaxing way to drive. You can see that he doesn't take it too far either. He just keeps it smooth and steady.

[Ladogaboy]

This only serves to confirm my theory that a vast majority of the traffic problems in Los Angeles are the result of inconsiderate, selfish drivers.

[cfg83]

JacobAziza -

Good stuff! Here's some more threads on Bill Beaty:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ves-11992.html

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...oples-309.html

CarloSW2

[redorchestra]

i drove a five ton truck from Canada down to Texas once and I had a CB radio. I listened to truckers who had a system for the stop and go traffic that was caused by construction zones.
Here is what they did:
As they approached a construction zone that closed down subsequent lanes they would radio to other trucks to tell them what lane on what highway in what direction was closing. Truckers would then drive in a blocking formation slightly under the speed limit in the lanes that were soon to close. cars travelling in that direction would naturally get into the lane that was still driving the speed limit. As the trucks approached the construction zone closed lanes they would slowly merge into the open lane and miles back new trucks would take over the blocking position driving slightly under the speed limit so that cars would be forced to merge early into the lane that would be open through the construction zone.
It was a fantastic system that kept the traffic moving at a steady pace and eliminated what would have caused stop and go traffic. Time is money to truckers, and they were maximizing their profits.

[CeeforCitroen]

Originally Posted by Matt Herring

This may have been posted previously but I just came across it and wanted to share...good info. and a great vid on Traffic Jam Busting...

TRAFFIC WAVE EXPERIMENTS

I usually do this because I drive stick and can't be bothered faffing around with the clutch pedal and gear changes all the time, preferring instead to just let it sit. I sometimes find it hard to predict the waves though. I'll crawl along then everyone will get faster and it seems like I'm holding them up. I gradually increase speed for a while and then it seems like it grinds to a halt randomly. The only time I don't do this is when there are multiple lights where it pays to get as many cars through each cycle every time.

Edit: this thread is old! It usually happens when I google search an interesting topic and find it's years old.

I will also add that I remember a UK show called "Vroom Vroom" or maybe it was "Fifth Gear" where they experimented with cars in a circle trying to drive a steady speed behind one another (about 15-20 mph). Drivers found it increasingly difficult to maintain steady speed as more cars were added to the circle and the pulsing start stop fast and slow oscillations began to occur.