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An idea to solve traffic - idiot shaming signs!
My other half and I were discussing this idea as we drove home through the traffic delays today and wondered why no one has ever tried it.
I have the delight of commuting on the A303 past Stonehenge daily and invariably morning and (mostly) evening there is a queue.
If you're not familar with the stretch of road it's renowned for traffic jams stretching for miles caused by two things:-
1. Miles of dual carriageway both to the east and west are rudely disrupted by the single carriageway section past Stonehenge. British drivers are completely incapable of merging in turn and so queues inevitably build.
2. This is exacerbated by the great throngs of fools who have decided that while they want to see Stonehenge they're not prepared to divert for the joy (or pay for it). They slow down to a crawl as cameras emerge so they can snap and drive on.
Now the second point is the main problem....and you can tell this by noting that as soon as darkness falls the queues inevitably disappear. Do the commute in the winter and there will be no queues.
So what is the solution? Driver Shaming!
The Highways Agency are able to spend millions on a Stonehenge bypass (or so they say - it will probably not get past planning). Instead, invest a few hundred quid and start sticking signs on the A303 for a few miles either side.
Example:
5 miles away - STONEHENGE IN 5 MILES - DON'T BE INCONSIDERATE AND SLOW DOWN WHILE PASSING - PULL OFF AND PAY
2 miles away - ONLY A FOOL WOULD RISK THEMSELVES TO SLOW DOWN AND TAKE A PHOTO. ARE YOU THAT FOOL?
While passing - KEEP GOING. IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
We could use the same approach for middle lane driving. On managed motorways, cameras could record number plates and shame individuals who are blatantly incapable of lane discipline. YOUR REG!! POOR DRIVING - MOVE LEFT WHEN NOT OVERTAKING
It could work for narrow roads where people are incapable of knowing the width of their cars ROAD IS OBVIOUSLY WIDE ENOUGH FOR TWO CARS - STOPPING IS IDIOTIC AND CAUSES DELAYS.
It seems to be something the government have tried to combat drink-driving and driving tried so why not try this?
Maybe I should patent driving shaming.......
I have the delight of commuting on the A303 past Stonehenge daily and invariably morning and (mostly) evening there is a queue.
If you're not familar with the stretch of road it's renowned for traffic jams stretching for miles caused by two things:-
1. Miles of dual carriageway both to the east and west are rudely disrupted by the single carriageway section past Stonehenge. British drivers are completely incapable of merging in turn and so queues inevitably build.
2. This is exacerbated by the great throngs of fools who have decided that while they want to see Stonehenge they're not prepared to divert for the joy (or pay for it). They slow down to a crawl as cameras emerge so they can snap and drive on.
Now the second point is the main problem....and you can tell this by noting that as soon as darkness falls the queues inevitably disappear. Do the commute in the winter and there will be no queues.
So what is the solution? Driver Shaming!
The Highways Agency are able to spend millions on a Stonehenge bypass (or so they say - it will probably not get past planning). Instead, invest a few hundred quid and start sticking signs on the A303 for a few miles either side.
Example:
5 miles away - STONEHENGE IN 5 MILES - DON'T BE INCONSIDERATE AND SLOW DOWN WHILE PASSING - PULL OFF AND PAY
2 miles away - ONLY A FOOL WOULD RISK THEMSELVES TO SLOW DOWN AND TAKE A PHOTO. ARE YOU THAT FOOL?
While passing - KEEP GOING. IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
We could use the same approach for middle lane driving. On managed motorways, cameras could record number plates and shame individuals who are blatantly incapable of lane discipline. YOUR REG!! POOR DRIVING - MOVE LEFT WHEN NOT OVERTAKING
It could work for narrow roads where people are incapable of knowing the width of their cars ROAD IS OBVIOUSLY WIDE ENOUGH FOR TWO CARS - STOPPING IS IDIOTIC AND CAUSES DELAYS.
It seems to be something the government have tried to combat drink-driving and driving tried so why not try this?
Maybe I should patent driving shaming.......
0
Comments
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Many years ago I went to see Stonehenge.
Despite our ancestors building the thing in their spare time, the powers that be have chosen to fence it off, and charge £50 for a family to see it from 50 metres away
No wonder people slow down to get a better look, the A303 is only 200m away, and it is free.
I'm surprised they haven't thought to plant a few trees in the way or somethingI want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science
)0 -
One problem there is that the road that used to go passed it has been closed to traffic for some time. But some sat navs still tell you to turn off the A303 where there is now no turn off if you need to go on the A360!
Why don't they put a sign where the turn off used to be telling people to continue to the next turning?
Of course that would be sensible so will never happen!0 -
Merging ability has little to do with it - any time 2 lanes of traffic goes down to 1 there will be traffic problems. You're suddenly trying to handle the same volume of traffic with half the capacity.1. Miles of dual carriageway both to the east and west are rudely disrupted by the single carriageway section past Stonehenge. British drivers are completely incapable of merging in turn and so queues inevitably build.
Try describing the logic required for an automated system to detect this. Not easy.We could use the same approach for middle lane driving. On managed motorways, cameras could record number plates and shame individuals who are blatantly incapable of lane discipline. YOUR REG!! POOR DRIVING - MOVE LEFT WHEN NOT OVERTAKING0 -
Despite our ancestors building the thing in their spare time, the powers that be have chosen to fence it off, and charge £50 for a family to see it from 50 metres away
You used to be able to walk amongst the stones, but the constant foot traffic was wearing away the ground, and people used to chip bits off the stones. You can get a lot closer than 50 metres though.
They could, of course, make it free, but then running the site would have to be funded by taxpayers rather than tourists. Bit of a no-brainer really.0 -
It's the Highways Agency and the Local Councils that should be shamed for the state of the medieval cart-tracks that pass for roads in this country.
People slow down on narrow roads because there isn't room for two cars to pass at speed, or even at all.0 -
Merging ability has little to do with it - any time 2 lanes of traffic goes down to 1 there will be traffic problems. You're suddenly trying to handle the same volume of traffic with half the capacity.
Try describing the logic required for an automated system to detect this. Not easy.
Drivers in other countries seem to be able to do "Merge in Turn" without causing a deadstop.0 -
Merge in turn is a process the British don't understand unfortunately. Watch any road with roadworks and say a sign saying lanes merge in 1 mile and then watch as people either refuse to let you in if you use the second land to the last second or even move across to block you from "queue jumping" as they see it. A mile of slow or stationery traffic and a mile of empty lane but 95% won't use the empty lane because they think it's not allowed.
Some sort of AI led camera system with anpr might be good on the middle lane one but we're a way off that tech level yet, unfortunately needs more police on the roads pulling them over and more education during driving lessons.Sam Vimes' Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness:
People are rich because they spend less money. A poor man buys $10 boots that last a season or two before he's walking in wet shoes and has to buy another pair. A rich man buys $50 boots that are made better and give him 10 years of dry feet. The poor man has spent $100 over those 10 years and still has wet feet.
0 -
What about signs saying,
SLOWING DOWN OCCASIONALLY ISN'T THE END OF THE WORLD.
or,
REALITY CHECK, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.0 -
Merge in turn is a process the British don't understand unfortunately. Watch any road with roadworks and say a sign saying lanes merge in 1 mile and then watch as people either refuse to let you in if you use the second land to the last second or even move across to block you from "queue jumping" as they see it. A mile of slow or stationery traffic and a mile of empty lane but 95% won't use the empty lane because they think it's not allowed.
Some sort of AI led camera system with anpr might be good on the middle lane one but we're a way off that tech level yet, unfortunately needs more police on the roads pulling them over and more education during driving lessons.
Part of the problem is that they are normally signposted as Lane closed so people move to the other lane automatically which is the correct action. There have even been adverts on TV saying that you must move to the other lane if your lane shows a T symbol above it. You cannot blame people for actually doing what they have been instructed to do.
Maybe they should be showing merge in turn signs rather than lane closed.0 -
Shaming works in France on the motorways, one often sees signs with VRM's indicated and a message to the driver to slow down (in French of course) and you can see the car "shamed" slow down. It is far easier to detect speed than some of the issues the OP was suggesting.0
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