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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: 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.