All over the world, gridlock, stop and go driving and constant and sometimes dangerous lane changes are a daily frustration for highway motorists. However, new research by Dr Xiaobo Qu from Griffith University in Queensland ( http://www.griffith.edu.au ), Australia, in collaboration with Dr Shuaian Wang from Old Dominion University, USA, may provide the means to improving traffic safety, capacity and efficiency between cities.
Dr Qu and Dr Wang have used the M1 Motorway between Queensland's two biggest cities—Gold Coast and Brisbane—as the basis for computer modelling assessing the viability of a Long Distance Commuter lane (LDC).
"Because so many people live on the Gold Coast and work in Brisbane, a large proportion of M1 commuters travel during morning and evening peaks," says Dr Qu. "At these times, each lane of the M1 carries up to 2300 vehicles every hour and bottlenecks are common. "However, this modelling demonstrates that a dedicated LDC lane, with not only maximum but also minimum speed limits, could accommodate much higher traffic volume - up to 3000 vehicles per hour—by eliminating or at least minimising disturbances currently caused by lane changing, low speed vehicles and use of on-ramps and off-ramps.
[Abstract]:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mice.12102/abstract
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191261515000041
(Score: 2) by carguy on Saturday March 07 2015, @02:15AM
Via Pacific Motorway this is an 80.6 km (about 50 mile) stretch of limited access road. Google maps says it takes 59 minutes with no traffic. It must be posted at 80 kph / 50 mph -- why so slow?
Is the proposed commuter/express lane physically separated from the other "local" lanes to prohibit lane changing? Or is it simply separated by some extra painted lines and signage?
(Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Saturday March 07 2015, @02:53AM
Google Maps is showing you the current traffic and travel times. If you retry during peak hours you'll get a much different answer.
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by carguy on Saturday March 07 2015, @03:42AM
Google maps shows both:
* Time for "no traffic". I quoted this as a way to characterize the general type and speed of this road.
* Time for current conditions, obviously a longer trip time when there is congestion.
I had assumed that Google Maps "no traffic" times were based on driving at the speed limit, but Wikipedia says that major portions of that northern section of the M1 have 110 kph speed limits. So now I'm puzzled--why is Google suggesting a much slower average speed (~80 kph) for "no traffic" conditions?
Wikipedia also noted that there are speed cameras in use, perhaps that has a chilling effect on the common tendency to drive somewhat above the posted limit?
(Score: 3, Informative) by lentilla on Saturday March 07 2015, @06:03AM
major portions of that northern section of the M1 have 110 kph speed limits. [..] why [..] a much slower average speed[?]
The M1 isn't one long highway - it's a collection of roads. The maximum speed is governed by the type of road. If it's a dual carriageway (each travel direction separated by a wide space), the speed will be 110 km/h. A single-carriageway will have a maximum of 100 km/h or lower, depending on other characteristics of the road. As a result the posted speeds will be any of the following: 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 or 110 km/h. Gives you a headache remembering exactly which speed you're meant to be travelling at!
Although this won't be applicable to the M1, it's not uncommon in Australia to have been barrelling along a highway for an hour to suddenly pop into a town and have the speed limit plummet to 40 km/h as you pass a rural school. Guess where the local police sit...
speed cameras in use, perhaps that has a chilling effect on the common tendency to drive somewhat above the posted limit?
For years the Australian Government has been frightening it's citizens with the slogan "speed kills" and have backed this up by regularly booking people. As a result Australians spend more time looking at their speedometers than at the road ahead. When the posted speed limit is 100km/h that really means the traffic travels at that speed (and likely slower). Queenslanders tend to be the most lax in their interpretation of speed limits and you might see people travelling 10km/h over the limit. As you head further south, enforcement becomes more strict to the point that only the foolhardy exceed the posted limits in Victoria.
You'll get fined if you get caught speeding, but it's the "points" [wikipedia.org] that people worry about. Get caught a few times, a few km/h over the limit and you're catching the bus.
(Score: 2) by carguy on Saturday March 07 2015, @07:56PM
Thanks for the explanation. Used to be many highways like that here in the USA and in Canada -- all of a sudden divided highway (dual carriageway) changes to surface street with lower speed limit (and opportunistic local cops). The ones near to me have been rebuilt to divided highway, limited access (on & off ramps, no level-crossings), but I'm sure there are still some left in other areas.
Back to the original article, how could a high speed commuter/express lane possibly be implemented on a road with variable conditions?
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by GungnirSniper on Saturday March 07 2015, @02:31AM
It won't happen because the safety nazis and environmentalists will stand in the way. If everyone crawls, no one gets hurt.
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(Score: 2) by bob_super on Saturday March 07 2015, @02:37AM
One step further: if everyone crawls, some people take public transport.
That logic is used in quite a few european cities, which are then suffocating from the traffic jams, often far outweighing the pollution gains from public transport (parking gains do remain)
(Score: 3) by GungnirSniper on Saturday March 07 2015, @02:56AM
Which means instead of making public transport more appealing to attract users, they make driving less appealing. That's not how government should work.
As for me, I'll put up with the little extra pollution to be able to get to where I need to quickly.
In Boston, our subways are pitiful, and every commuter lot I've tried is full before 7AM. I don't know what the solution here is, but it's not to do nothing.
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Saturday March 07 2015, @03:37AM
The solution is SkyTran [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Tuesday March 10 2015, @05:52AM
Before I reply to your comments, I want to say that I agree with a lot of what you have to say, but I have concerns that you could be polarized on this issue and would like to present an alternate viewpoint outside of the common polarized views circulating today.
Agree 100%. This is a big problem. Everyone wants to argue and by focusing on the details of the problems, but people have to look at the big picture too.
Everyone should be looking at costs, ease of use, speed to get places, safety, the environment, and the ability to govern and regulate it all. Safety and the environment are important and shouldn't be dismissed. See my next comment.
I don't have that choice. It's incredible the impact asthma has on my life. I'm no power lifter and I don't do marathons, but I'm in good shape. On my good days, I workout with 60 pound dumbbells in each hand. I'm not the best runner (due to the asthma), but I can crank out a couple of kilometers without stopping. When it doesn't rain for a few days, my asthma reduces my ability to breathe such that I have trouble going up and down the stairs in the apartment where I live. (I have never smoked a cigarette in my life and neither of my parents were smokers.)
I'm not advocating for this or that. I'm saying that most of the time, I don't hear things that takes into account both your needs and mine. And when I hear comments such as the one you make, I feel excluded and marginalized. The words you use are polarizing. It isn't just you, though. 90% of the people I speak with use polarizing words to argue with one another on difficult topics. Spouting polarizing words is the one thing everyone seems to be able to agree on. (Unfortunately.)
Although I don't live in Boston, I fully agree with you as this has plagued the several major cities I've lived in during my life. This is a lack of a holistic approach. For instance, sky scrapers encourage higher density traffic which then slows down the ability for the traffic to move. The opposite problem is the surburbs where everything is spread out forcing more people to use cars instead of public transport.
A solution can be worked on when all view points are heard and looked at by all parties without polarization and without putting others' views down. Science could help a lot here too. I can think of a few solutions, but without other viewpoints and without solid science, my ideas are worthless.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 07 2015, @05:25AM
So basically another lane.
In the states we have at least 2 forms of this. 1 HOV. Many states have only 'allowed' points in and out. So once you enter you should not leave. Many also have capacity additions to encourage carpooling.
In my state we have 3 lane interstate portions. If I asked you what is the left most lane. You probably would answer 'the fast lane'. You would be wrong. By law it is the 'thru traffic lane. The middle lane is for passing. The right most lane is for getting on/off using the onramps. But that is not how people use it...
In practice it does not work out unless you enforce it.
(Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Saturday March 07 2015, @07:32AM
HOV lanes are a total joke, A complete perversion of the normal traffic flow.
But the indicated stretch of road in this article is probably subject to some random act of slow-down, which sets up a traffic wave which can persist for hours. Higher speed might not help, because the braking for a wave shoots backward much faster with faster traffic, and can clog traffic for hours.
Traffic waves: How and why: http://trafficwaves.org/ [trafficwaves.org]
Also: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=211025038 [npr.org]
When the above article was first posted, professional traffic engineers poo poo-ed it, because, hey the guy is an electrical engineer, what could he possibly know. Then they started doing experiments and the math, and found out he was dead on.
It turns out one car that refuses to run up on the bumper of the car in front, (only to have to slam on the brakes) can totally clear these traffic waves from the roadway.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 07 2015, @08:16AM
Thanks for the link, finally I have something to back up the point I've been making about clearing a traffic jam on my own, with nobody believing me.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Saturday March 07 2015, @11:11AM
I often ride the bus over the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver on I-5. It is uncommon that that bus is filled to capacity; at the same time rush hour starts at two in the afternoon. I see all those frustrated, tired automobile drivers, just one per car, just wanting to get home. Considering the cost of parking in Portland, it's much cheaper to take the bus. Why do so many choose to drive cars?
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 07 2015, @06:03PM
How about outsourcing more jobs to China while you're at it?
That should help with the traffic.
(Score: 1) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 07 2015, @11:32PM
Why do so many choose to drive cars?
Sure I can take the bus to work. If I didnt mind it taking oh about 2 hours to get to work and going 30 miles out of the way.
OR I can take my car and be at work in under 15 mins and swing by the store on the way home to grab the food for tonight.
Thats why.
(Score: 1) by cellocgw on Saturday March 07 2015, @02:49PM
The thought that people will observe either a max or a min speed in a "dedicated" lane is laughable. And it's not hard to run simulations which will show that one or two cars which exceed either limit significantly leads to "blobs" of traffic, inevitably slowing everything down. Basically, until we've got adaptive cruise control or similar interactive speed management, people will manage to defeat any designed "travel improvement method."
Physicist, cellist, former OTTer (1190) resume: https://app.box.com/witthoftresume