Worst traffic impediments to good FE?

[Kodak]

In your opinion, which traffic impediments are the worst in terms of affecting real world fuel economy?

Edit: I forgot to add that, if successful, the results of this poll will be used for a school project.

[Kodak]

Since I can't find a way to limit voters to 3 choices (I can ask, but it's not concrete), you are free to select multiple choices from the above at your discretion. Just choose the worst offenders, and feel free to explain your answer(s).

Thank you for voting.

[slowbro]

As most of my driving is done in the city, I have a feeling that unnecessary stop signs are a real killer to my FE. When there are consecutive stop signs at every street it is very tough to get good gas mileage. I cannot engine off coast in my car, and putting my car into neutral while I coast only raises my fuel consumption at speeds above 10-15 mph. As a result my routine when going through multiple stop signs involves a lot of braking, which indirectly kills my fuel economy.

[cfg83]

Hello -

I picked the first one because I see the traffic light behavior change from city to city. Probably a money thing.

CarloSW2

[Frank Lee]

Population growth.

Where I used to be able to cruise straight through (and I ain't THAT old) from A to B is now littered with intersections, stop signs, and stop lights which inevitably are red when approached. Cruise straight through = modest, constant speed in top gear = max fe vs. constant accel/decel, low gears, brakes, etc.

Then the traf**** density sometimes will prevent getting through a red on the first cycle which leads to even more idling and probably more intense jackrabbit starts.

The sheer quantity of firing cylinders at any given moment has forced the development of complicated and expensive computer emission controls (in some cases for the better and in some cases not).

The sheer demand for fuel forces prices higher for all, including those who don't flagrantly burn a lot of it.

The sheer volume and density of motorized vehicles operating, combined with society's acceptance of removal of mufflers, means that one's chances of finding a place where their right to enjoy their own property unspoiled has become increasingly elusive.

Combined with the increased volume of semi-truck traf**** needed to supply the increased amount of consumers with all the plastic disposable stuff they buy then discard a short time later means formerly relatively desolate "country" roads are now filled with trucks, commuters, and mufflerless joy riders. That leads to more waiting for merges, etc.

So, mustering up their best anti-logic, government, churches, and the general population of idiots decide that paying people to reproduce makes the most sense.

"Progress"

[user removed]

Tell us how you really feel Frank!!!!!!!!


regards
Mech

[rmay635703]

In Wisconsin people with mental impairments design the traffic light systems.

In most every city in Wisconsin that i have gone to, the light instantly changes the instant a car shows up to a side street that has minimal traffic flow, many times when they are also turning right.

The result is a road that has maybe 10 cars an hour taking precedence over the main drag that probably has 600 or 800 cars an hour, causing 20 cars to come to a stop and wait watching the car drive away 1/2 a mile then the light changes in time for another car to pull up so the light only allows a couple cars through.

Although i hate Chicago, they at least have laws that dissallow the above situation by requiring traffic study and minimum cycle times along with "timed" lights. Around here the light can flash like a blinker if a car shows up from each way just perfectly, car one hits intersection, waits drives, 10 seconds later car 2 shows up and it flashes right back, nothing like forcing everyone to stop rather than leaving it green a while.

In Wisconsin there are traffic lights that are sometimes as little as 8 car length apart and of coarse they aren't even timed. one is red other turns green and vica versa.

A little common sense could save millions of gallons of fuel by simply fixing the totally broken traffic light system by keeping lights timed, by providing a logical timed delay to side streets (aka keeping one car waiting 5 minutes is less wastefull than keeping 20 cars waiting 1 minute)

I wonder who i can send my complaints to in the Wisconsin gov/dot?
They could learn something about actually controlling traffic lights instead of making do just random crap.

Ah well.

[A.J.]

How about parallel parking? It's not traffic per say, but it's so wasteful!

Today, my car was so badly stuck between two other cars, on a hill!!!
I took me 2-3 mins to get out without scratching my car. I had to do like 5-6 S-turns. I didn't even want to look at the ScanGauge to see how much that little exercise cost me...

And the clutch must hate me now

P.S. And there's a boulevard in Montreal where at night, all the lights become stop signs (permanent blinking red)... How retarded...

[Rokeby]

I would vote for All or most of the other vehicles on the road
if it were an option.

[user removed]

With 46 traffic lights in a 40 mile round trip, stupid light timing is my greatest aggravation. The roads here are mostly east to west main arteries since it is basically a peninsula between two rivers, with few bridges.

I64, route 143, route 60 all are east to west main arteries. While the roads that intersect those main arteries are significant they are in no way reliant on any timing for traffic flow. Most of the lights get timed eventually, but every time they add a new one, it takes them a year to get it working in sync with the rest.

Half of them could be eliminated altogether with right turn only intersections and a u turn 50 yards down the road. The rest would do fine for establishing separation of groups of traffic for those entering the main artery.

12 seconds of green light on a over 1 minute total cycle is ludicrous. The left turn on green only is the same time length. When the interstate gets backed up due to an accident, the overflow overwhelms the light and the traffic will back up for 20 plus cycles. I have seen it so bad it took an hour to go 1 mile, with the light allowing about 8 cars per cycle. That light should be on 75% of the whole cycle.

regards
Mech