Rant

Aylesbury_Duck

bigadaj wrote: »

The OP is absolutely wrong, the way to avoid queues is to maintain a constant speed, which is why managed motorways have come in.


Stopping and starting causes ripples and when starting the fact that, if you are at all sensible, you don't maintain a two foot gap with the car in front at 50mph, which was the case when you were queuing, results in delays and waves of traffic.


If you really want to understand traffic flows then do some more grown up reading, sophisticated traffic modeling uses principles from fluid dynamics; an example is that you are pouring out a full bottle in one go, which glugs and stops in bursts, whereas it would be quicker and more even if you gently tilt and allow the fluid to flow steadily.

Spot on, and a good analogy. It's also the raised blood pressure and reactions of people completely intolerant of other people's behaviours that helps to cause congestion. It's the same with two lanes merging into one. If everyone adopts the same behaviour and merge like a zip, everyone gets through at a higher average speed. But that doesn't satisfy some people's need to feel that they've somehow won

(You can increase the rate of water leaving the bottle if you swirl it in a circular motion whilst it's upside down. It allows air to enter the bottle through the hole created in the swirl.)

AndyPix

Shoshannah wrote: »

I'm confused. Wouldn't their actions have the same effect regardless of which lane they are using?

Undertaking is illegal

AndyPix

Herzlos wrote: »

Nope, it's stopping that causes queues. Stopping usually because you're too close to the car in front.

Waiting a car length or so before moving off will have a dampening effect and should actually speed things up again as well as being better on fuel and wear.

But if i wait a car lenght and then the car behind me waits a car length etc , we have a motorway (still stopped) half full of gaps, and a million people stuck on sliproads and roundabouts.


Have you ever been sat, say 10 cars back at a red light - you see the light go green, and before it goes red again you havent moved.
If everyone moved at the same time (or as close as possible) then more people behind would have had a chance to get past their lights behind me ie everybody moves forward

AndyPix

bigadaj wrote: »

The OP is absolutely wrong, the way to avoid queues is to maintain a constant speed, which is why managed motorways have come in.


Stopping and starting causes ripples and when starting the fact that, if you are at all sensible, you don't maintain a two foot gap with the car in front at 50mph, which was the case when you were queuing, results in delays and waves of traffic.


If you really want to understand traffic flows then do some more grown up reading, sophisticated traffic modeling uses principles from fluid dynamics; an example is that you are pouring out a full bottle in one go, which glugs and stops in bursts, whereas it would be quicker and more even if you gently tilt and allow the fluid to flow steadily.

Huh ?
You say im absolutely wrong and then agree with what i said.
Quicker if you allow the "fluid" to flow steadily.
Not pour a bit, wait 30 seconds then pour another bit

AndyPix

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

Sigh.

It's people that have to keep stopping because they drive too close that cause the holdups.

Known as the wave effect.

ETA http://www.traffic-simulation.de/

Ok agreed.
But they are massivly magnified by the idiots who dont move off in a sensible time
There is absolutely no need to leave a 20 car gap
It magnifies backwards and causes bigger queues

waamo

What I find worse is when the speed limit increases on a managed stretch people in the outside lane fail to speed up.

It often goes from 40 to 50 then 60 as you pass gantries yet people insist on sitting in the outside lane at 40 seemingly ignorant of the fact the limit has changed.

This has a knock on effect across the other lanes as people pull alongside the slow moving vehicle essentially creating a rolling road block.

It's amazing how often this seems to happen.

AndyPix

Highway code :


151
In slow-moving traffic. You should

reduce the distance between you and the vehicle ahead to maintain traffic flow

AndyPix

waamo wrote: »

What I find worse is when the speed limit increases on a managed stretch people in the outside lane fail to speed up.

It often goes from 40 to 50 then 60 as you pass gantries yet people insist on sitting in the outside lane at 40 seemingly ignorant of the fact the limit has changed.

This has a knock on effect across the other lanes as people pull alongside the slow moving vehicle essentially creating a rolling road block.

It's amazing how often this seems to happen.

Yes, theres another one - They also need flogging to within an inch of their lives.


Infact everyone - except me - should be bnanned from all roads

Herzlos

AndyPix wrote: »

But if i wait a car lenght and then the car behind me waits a car length etc , we have a motorway (still stopped) half full of gaps, and a million people stuck on sliproads and roundabouts.

Then you won't be stopped. You let the car in front get moving, give them a while and then follow along slowly; odds are they'll have stopped and started a few times whilst this happens, and eventually you'll catch up and park a couple of feet away, or the congestion will be gone. If you all did that there'd be less ripples.

Have you ever been sat, say 10 cars back at a red light - you see the light go green, and before it goes red again you havent moved.
If everyone moved at the same time (or as close as possible) then more people behind would have had a chance to get past their lights behind me ie everybody moves forward

But they can't move any faster - they need to react to the car in front moving off or they'll run into the back of them. However if you left a gap, you can start rolling before the car in front does and more of you can get through.

AndyPix

And by leaving a gap for no reason, you are hindering the traffic behind you.
Is that really so hard for you to see ?




I guess you are one of the culprits - there is not telling you is there ?


Off to the stocks with you