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AnonTechie writes:

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