[...] In mid-January, the borough’s police force will close 60 streets to all drivers aside from residents and people employed in the borough during the morning and afternoon rush periods, effectively taking most of the town out of circulation for the popular traffic apps — and for everyone else, for that matter.
[...] While a number of communities have devised strategies like turn restrictions and speed humps that affect all motorists, Leonia’s move may be the most extreme response.
[...] Borough officials say their measure is legal, although it may yet get tested in court. Some traffic engineers and elected officials elsewhere say the move may set a precedent that could encourage towns to summarily restrict public access to outsiders.
Source: Navigation Apps Are Turning Quiet Neighborhoods Into Traffic Nightmares
Also: New Jersey town will close streets to fight navigation app traffic
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Wednesday December 27 2017, @12:20AM (3 children)
It's not stupid. What's stupid is the decisions made by humans in the city governments; if it weren't for their mismanagement, we wouldn't have most of these traffic problems.
You seem to be assuming that humans are capable of better decisions than algorithms. Where did you get this crazy idea? What makes you think you can take some random idiot off the street, and get a better result with his decisions than with an algorithm designed by an expert? Now before you try to poke holes in the logic of that statement, ask yourself: what exactly are the qualifications to get into municipal politics? Is there some kind of college degree needed to get onto city council, and then be able to make these decisions about traffic engineering (which of course involves overriding the recommendations of actual engineers)?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 27 2017, @12:37AM (2 children)
Even if there were, the vast majority of people with college degrees are incompetent, including in their supposed area of expertise. Most colleges don't have very high standards, after all.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday December 27 2017, @12:00PM (1 child)
There's also corruption. I know, I know, Hanlon's razor. But there is plenty of corruption, and it warps a lot of decision making. A whole lot of people get screwed a little bit with a decision everyone knows is slightly suboptimal, so that a few can rake in the big bucks, and kick a little of that back to their "friends". As long as the corruption is not so extremely unfair to the majority or so exceptionally large or stupid or evil that it gets noticed, it generally flies.
Naturally, politicians doling out favors do not want gross incompetence on the part of the recipients to come back and embarrass them. Sometimes, however, events can expose problems that are rooted in corruption. For instance, turned out that the New Orleans levies that failed in Hurricane Katrina were shoddy thanks to corruption.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 27 2017, @01:33PM
Don't attribute to malice or stupidity, that which can be adequately explained by self-interest. Not the version you've heard?