Why is it that people sit in traffic jams? Shouldn't we have a better method to diffuse conjestion?

Question

I travel quite a bit to many different cities. I have noticed that every major city is ALWAYS conjested in creeping traffic for at least 2 hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

The amount of wasted fuel and global warming must be stupendous. We are humans that have sent men to the moon, cured diseases, built enormous skyscrapers, etc.

Why can we not figure out how to diffuse traffic conjestion better, i.e., force companies to stagger work times other than 9 to 5? Or create forced carpooling for certain times? Is it our freedom that makes us slaves to traffic conjestion?

This just seems to be such a huge problem that should not be. Does anybody have any good ideas?

Answer 1

The first one that can do that will become rich!

Answer 2

i agree with you BC! i travel quite often myself and am sick of the congestion. i think in Ohio, the orange cone is our state flower! i am all about precision driving. if people would pay attention, things could go smother. for instance, when you see a sign "right lane ending, merge left", don't wait until the last second to do so. this only holds up traffic further. put down the cell phone when driving in a construction site, your complete attention is required. i also agree that the state workers should work from 10:00 pm to 6:00am. they get paid enough. i really hate driving anymore. it's just hurry up and wait.

Answer 3

There have been a lot of studies on this very problem. Seems that "rubber-necking" can cause a lot of it. Now they are making off and on ramps much longer and getting away from "clover leaf" interchanges, This allows more vehicles to have been exited but they still have to wait to access the road they are on. Seeing a State Trooper in the median is enough to slow traffic for about 20 minutes once he is seen and leaves.

An accident is much worse. A typical accident that does tie up traffic for an hour will result in about a 2 hour plus delay. I try to pick times to go see my son near Chicago, say 9 am or later and leave by 2pm of earlier.

Definitely a hassle. My son lives about 53 miles away but average time is about 1 hours 15 minutes. Sundays, 1 hour. this is on a three lane highway. You just have to know when the individual rush hours are and even know special events in Chicago.

The waste of fuel is alot. Not to mention wear and tear on the vehicles and what your time is worth.

Wished I had an answer.

Answer 4

why can't we be like The Jetson's, they had the right idea!

Answer 5

Blame cheap oil.

Think about the way our metropolitan areas are laid out.  Typically a large city will be surounded by suburban bedroom communities, where the bulk of people who work in the city live.  These towns can be anywhere from 5-50 miles away.  This didn't happen until cars and cheap oil came on the scene.  Prior to that, the workforce was concentrated in the city where the jobs were and the immediately surrounding area was devoted to agriculture to support the workforce.  Cheap oil allowed the workers to live farther from their jobs but at the cost of agricultural land.  More and more workers were able to live the "American Dream" of their own house and a little plot of land in the burbs.  

The problem was, and still is, that public transportation did not keep up with this outward sprawl, thus necessitating the use of the car to get to work.

Read a book called "The Long Emergency"...the authors name escapes me.

Answer 6

Hi Bottom,

Get a job where you can work at home, that way no driving at all.  Work nights that way no traffic. In Mn we already have car pooling & now light rail just drive to station take train via into work. Invest in petro stations that way you will get a dividend check each month. Retire early & go to lake & tan, swim & toke. Have a good day. :0)

Additional Details: You tell company LQQK traffic is nuts-o yu need to arrange different hours like 6AM-10PM.