Traffic Behaviour

Archives of Posts to the NZ MX5 List back in 2005
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Simon Lord
See my 5 and raise you.
See my 5 and raise you.
Posts: 98
Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:09 pm
Location: Albany

Traffic Behaviour

Post by Simon Lord » Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:29 pm

Gazza, you might be interested in the following from a UK website called
Carkeys:

'Edmund King, Chief Executive of the RAC Foundation, is surely
exaggerating wildly when he says that "one of the great mysteries of
motoring has finally been solved" by his organisation. But the results of
recent research, which do little more than agree with commonsense and past
experience, are worth bearing in mind nevertheless.

The issue here is that of phantom traffic jams. You know the kind of
thing. You're driving along a motorway, as the case may be, and all of a
sudden you're faced with the back of a long queue. You trundle along at
walking pace for ten minutes, and then suddenly there isn't a queue any
more. What happened there?

The Foundation lists the five principal reasons, as follows:

1) Tailgating: a driver is obliged to slow down, and the pondlife
sitting three feet from his rear bumper has to jump on the brakes. The
avoiding action continues behind.

2) Slowcoaches: a vehicle pulls into the outside lane while travelling
much more slowly than whatever is catching up with it. It may indeed be a
coach, or indeed a lorry, though according to the Foundation "it is equally
likely to be a car driver wearing a flat cap".

3) Police: the lead car in the outside lane spots a police car in the
vicinity and brakes suddenly. (Hardly the police's fault, surely?)

4) Cameras: the lead car sees a Gatso camera, or perhaps even a
traffic camera, and brakes suddenly.

5) Rubberneckers: A driver on one carriageway sees an accident, or the
aftermath of one, on the opposite carriageway, and slows down to take a closer
look.

In our opinion, tailgating is an inherent part of at least four items
on the list, not just the first one, and we agree with the Foundation's
stance on this type of behaviour. "There are scientists all over the world
studying the dynamics of traffic flow and stop-go waves," says King. "Many
papers have been published to explain this common phenomenon but we are
convinced that travelling too close is nearly always at the root of the
jams - which frequently result in delay and many non-injury collisions.

"Tailgating is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous and foolish
examples of bad driving but we see it everyday on the UK's roads and
motorways. It is also recognised as one of the biggest factors in triggering
road rage. If someone behind you is too close, don't be tempted to get
angry, brake or speed away; simply let them go when it is safe to move over.

"Tailgating limits the ability of motorists to be able to react
swiftly to events which may be happening further along the motorway, and
significantly increases the chances of a crash. We would urge drivers to
obey the 'two second rule' when driving, and adjust their distance according
to local weather conditions."


Simon
97 SR Ltd (sparkle green)
Email: simon@franchise.co.nz

EricW
See my 5 and raise you.
See my 5 and raise you.
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 7:07 pm
Location: Whangaparaoa

Traffic Behaviour

Post by EricW » Sat Mar 12, 2005 1:42 pm

Can't argue with any of that!

EricW
See my 5 and raise you.
See my 5 and raise you.
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 7:07 pm
Location: Whangaparaoa

Traffic Behaviour

Post by EricW » Sat Mar 12, 2005 1:42 pm

Can't argue with any of that!

College

Traffic Behaviour

Post by College » Sat Mar 12, 2005 4:27 pm

I have worked as a delivery driver in London, there people will let you in if you are waiting at a side road, they seem to understand that "press on & up yours" driving actually ends up slowing the whole traffic stream.
As for the study, ... "There are scientists all over the world studying the dynamics of traffic flow and stop-go waves," There are also Stop Go roadies studying the scientists! I've pinched the link for my blog
http://restarea300.blogspot.com/
College

College

Traffic Behaviour

Post by College » Sat Mar 12, 2005 4:27 pm

I have worked as a delivery driver in London, there people will let you in if you are waiting at a side road, they seem to understand that "press on & up yours" driving actually ends up slowing the whole traffic stream.
As for the study, ... "There are scientists all over the world studying the dynamics of traffic flow and stop-go waves," There are also Stop Go roadies studying the scientists! I've pinched the link for my blog
http://restarea300.blogspot.com/
College

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