Found two pretty cool apps lately (if they were mentioned here previously, tough shit):
Waze - A social GPS app. Basically, it's a GPS that does all GPS stuff, but it's interactive. For example, if I'm driving on the expressway, and I see a cop running radar, I can report it, and his location will now appear on everyone else's map. Ditto for any other road hazard. There's also a game aspect to it as you have an avatar, can talk to other drivers (not while driving as its disabled), earn points, etc. Pretty cool app that I recommend for anyone that drives a lot.
AppsGonefree - Posts a list of apps every day that either went free permanently or just for a limited time. New apps seem to be posted in the early afternoon, and I haven't noticed them miss a single day in a few weeks now. I've found a lot of cool apps for business, games, and a lot for the kids.
iPhone Apps
"Waze..." Since driving in traffic in memphis I have been dreaming of some sort of real-time crowsdourcing app that would allow you to avoid traffic jams, which are usually caused by some fucking idiot rear-ending someone else.
I have also dreamed of having the ability to find out who the idiot is, and allowing every single person in that traffic jam to micro-sue him for lost time due to his shit-driving ass.
I have also dreamed of a sensor drone that would home-port to the top of your car and, when you are stuck in a traffic jam, could launch a couple hundred feet in the air with a cam so you could see how far ahead traffic was stopped, and plan accordingly by hitting the next exit, or whatever.
There. Now THOSE hairbrained ideas are out there, too.
Also machine guns attached to my car.
I have also dreamed of having the ability to find out who the idiot is, and allowing every single person in that traffic jam to micro-sue him for lost time due to his shit-driving ass.
I have also dreamed of a sensor drone that would home-port to the top of your car and, when you are stuck in a traffic jam, could launch a couple hundred feet in the air with a cam so you could see how far ahead traffic was stopped, and plan accordingly by hitting the next exit, or whatever.
There. Now THOSE hairbrained ideas are out there, too.
Also machine guns attached to my car.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
In my experience, traffic jams are caused by:
1) cops
2) dumbasses in minivans or SUVs
As for (2), the past dozen accidents I've driven by have involved one of those two car types running into another, unless by some weird shit things got turned around and they were going backwards.
1) cops
2) dumbasses in minivans or SUVs
As for (2), the past dozen accidents I've driven by have involved one of those two car types running into another, unless by some weird shit things got turned around and they were going backwards.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
which are usually caused by some fucking idiot rear-ending someone else.
Actually, one of the things I learned hanging out with college buddies from the A&M Transportation Institute is that most traffic snarls in major metropolitan areas aren't created by wrecks. Cumulatively the primary cause of big-city traffic is lane jumpers - those guys that don't want to get over and sit in line for their exit like everyone else but instead stay in the next lane over and try to dive in at the last moment - who don't time it right and end up hitting their brakes and blocking traffic behind them in the non-exiting lanes. Which propagates into traffic waves that encompass the city and if you get enough of them - which you will - cause major stoppage everywhere for reasons no one can see.
Individually wrecks are worse, but lane-jumpers are much much more common and have a huge cumulative effect that overwhelms most other factors on a city-wide scale. Also, they should be driven off the roads at all opportunities and shot on sight.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
I say the problem is the Flanders that lets the jumper into his lane.
EDIT: Then there's my favourite bit, the douches who wait until the last possible second to merge during construction when a mile of signs has fucking warned you to fucking merge already, asshole.
Or the one I see every day when some fuckwit gets off the highway and pauses for a brief second at a stoplight before making a right turn on red. You know, the ones that think because there's ten feet of empty space in otherwise solid 45 mph traffic that they're entitled to jump out into the lane and slow down every one behind them by 20 mph. Those are the fuckers I'd shoot.
Edited By Malcolm on 1352830344
EDIT: Then there's my favourite bit, the douches who wait until the last possible second to merge during construction when a mile of signs has fucking warned you to fucking merge already, asshole.
Or the one I see every day when some fuckwit gets off the highway and pauses for a brief second at a stoplight before making a right turn on red. You know, the ones that think because there's ten feet of empty space in otherwise solid 45 mph traffic that they're entitled to jump out into the lane and slow down every one behind them by 20 mph. Those are the fuckers I'd shoot.
Edited By Malcolm on 1352830344
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
A big cause of traffic jams is rubber neckers. Folks who have to go as slow as possible past whatever is going on so they can get a better look.
Also, the sun. Seriously. There's a stretch of expressway here that goes directly into the morning sun a lot. Traffic gets slowed down by the blinding light a lot. Post rainy mornings are the worst.
Edited By Leisher on 1352836629
Also, the sun. Seriously. There's a stretch of expressway here that goes directly into the morning sun a lot. Traffic gets slowed down by the blinding light a lot. Post rainy mornings are the worst.
Edited By Leisher on 1352836629
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
Yeah, the lane jumpers, too. I love seeing semi trucks blocking the lane that is ending to keep fucks from zooming up and cutting in.
In the past Cake was all about zooming up and cutting in. He said he should be able to use all lanes available to him.
In the past Cake was all about zooming up and cutting in. He said he should be able to use all lanes available to him.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
There also seems to be some kind of trend on the highway I frequent where the middle lane is the new right lane. I guess people don't know how to or are scared of merging traffic. Too bad we don't have a regulatory committee that ensures people who are driving are qualified to do so.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
TheCatt wrote:If the lanes are there, use them. It makes traffic more efficient.
Then there are the carpool Nazis.
"Damn, this highway is crowded."
"Yeah, wouldn't it be awesome if that lane over there that takes up 25-33% of the road length was open to more than 5% of the vehicles."
Or the fucking retarded stoplights on the onramp itself. This is partially why I've given up on the human species. Ants are better at traffic and network flow than we are.
Edited By Malcolm on 1352838648
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
As long as you are in the lane you need to be in and don't end up slamming on your breaks while trying to change lanes at the last minute and blocking the non-exiting traffic, then yes. Otherwise, no, it is far far from more efficient. Exactly the opposite of more efficient, in fact.TheCatt wrote:If the lanes are there, use them. It makes traffic more efficient.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
I don't use the open lane, then slam on my brakes trying to merge a flooded lane thus stopping/slowing the moving lane. But, I do ride a construction lane till it's closed. But only when traffic is already fucked.
If traffic is flowing, merge early and keep moving right on through. If the right lanes are stopped because the left lane is closed one mile ahead, I will ride the left lane until it closes. Me merging in right at the bottleneck doesn't affect others in the least. I do this for two reasons. One: If I don't, others will and this increases my time stuck in traffic. Two: I am better than everyone else. Just kidding. Bottom line, once traffic is fucked, traffic is fucked. Abiding by some arbitrary rule that you should merge into fucked traffic 1 mile, 2 miles, ?, ? ahead of the bottleneck is stupid. If everyone filled all lanes, and merged when you had to, the traffic flow would be fair and the people that merged way too early wouldn't feel as fucked. Again, this is only when traffic is already fucked. If traffic is moving, merge early.
Also, I normally slow down, and even stop, in the closing lane at about 1/4 mile before the bottleneck, keeping pace with the slow moving traffic in the lanes that are still open. This does two things for me. One: It keeps other people from passing me and increasing my stuck time. Two: It makes me the good guy now that was blocking the closing lane and people in the open lanes ALWAYS let me in.
Edited By Cakedaddy on 1352843655
If traffic is flowing, merge early and keep moving right on through. If the right lanes are stopped because the left lane is closed one mile ahead, I will ride the left lane until it closes. Me merging in right at the bottleneck doesn't affect others in the least. I do this for two reasons. One: If I don't, others will and this increases my time stuck in traffic. Two: I am better than everyone else. Just kidding. Bottom line, once traffic is fucked, traffic is fucked. Abiding by some arbitrary rule that you should merge into fucked traffic 1 mile, 2 miles, ?, ? ahead of the bottleneck is stupid. If everyone filled all lanes, and merged when you had to, the traffic flow would be fair and the people that merged way too early wouldn't feel as fucked. Again, this is only when traffic is already fucked. If traffic is moving, merge early.
Also, I normally slow down, and even stop, in the closing lane at about 1/4 mile before the bottleneck, keeping pace with the slow moving traffic in the lanes that are still open. This does two things for me. One: It keeps other people from passing me and increasing my stuck time. Two: It makes me the good guy now that was blocking the closing lane and people in the open lanes ALWAYS let me in.
Edited By Cakedaddy on 1352843655
Seconded. There's a notorious highway interchange in downtown where textbook examples of this shit happen all the time.GORDON wrote:When everyone is working together, a lane merge can be smooth. When 1 in 15 guys is a fuck and cuts ahead and causes sudden stops, it fucks everything.
I propose the death penalty for fucks who fuck up traffic.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."