When stuck in a long roadwork queue, I notice that despite the cars excellerating out of the end, the traffic behind does not increase speed. This results in large gaps on the exiting traffic. I wondered if the drivers go onto autopilot entering the roadworks and only watch the traffic ahead at intervals.
I realise the traffic is slowed down going from two lanes to one. But once in I find the cars keep slowing down and some only pick up speed sometimes after the exit. It intrigues and annoys me and I have no idea why drivers do it.
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This always used to cause me some thought until I was working near some roadworks as they were being set up. Traffic flowed quite happily and, as you say, once in the single lane flowed quite smoothly. Then someone actually started work in the central res, cue rubberneckers followed by braking further down the line until there was an almost stationary queue with very little coming out of the end. Amazing.
I found it fascinating to watch, some people have obviously led very sheltered lives and have never seen anyone working on a road before!
Then again I wasn't in the queue so I could cheerfully observe.
Apparently this is a well known phenomena on M-ways, particularly M25, where they reckon that if someone touches their brakes then some poor sod about five miles back will have to stop wondering what the hell is causing the delay.
Cockle
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Cockle wrote:
>
> Apparently this is a well known phenomena on M-ways,
> particularly M25, where they reckon that if someone touches
> their brakes then some poor sod about five miles back will
> have to stop wondering what the hell is causing the delay.
This is true! On a bike you can see it happening!
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One answer to this problem, well proven, is to put in a traffic light which periodically interrupts traffic flow, breaking it up into "packets".
As I remember, on some tunnels in the USA. it was demonstrated that this not only almost eliminates rear end shunts but actually improves the throughput.
Cheers fromSandy
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Another phenomenen that always irritates me is the way a queue of traffic waiting at lights always behaves as if the cars were connected by long but slack tow-ropes. The first car moves off, and then the driver of the second moves, and so on down the line. Nobody actually watches the lights, only the car in front. I know there are obvious dangers of over-anticipating and driving into the car ahead, but you would have thought everyone could be getting ready and inching forward so that they all started virtually together.
It is especially annoying at temporary lights at roadworks, where often the lights have changed again before number 6 has woken up, and then there is a mad dash of light jumpers trying to make up for lost time.
Cliff Pope
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