Doug MacDonald - Rice and Traffic Congestion

How do you communicate maximum-throughput on a highway? Using rice, Doug MacDonald demonstrates how the maximum number of cars can be moved through a stretch of highway at the maximum speed.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Doug
• MacDonald
• transportation
• rice
• traffic
• congestion

[johndgray1]

@wefiddleboy14 Obviously you don't drive on a major metropolitan freeway.Since the late 1970's many if not most,highways/freeways in metro areas have metered ramps.

[bobbie4]

The automobile is the worst thing that ever happened to mankind.

[keg13206]

@keg13206

OK, here's the rest. It seems, from the rice example, that a simple way to solve the problem would be to slow everyone down on the way to the choke point. Maybe going 45 mph up to and through the tunnel will get you where you want to go a whole lot faster than 65 mph up to the choke point and then sitting for 20 minutes.

Another solution would just be to wait it out while doing something else. How about spending an hour at Barnes and Noble and then hitting the road when it's clear?

[keg13206]

The point, though, is that the tunnel is not a choke point all the time. There are only certain times of the day when it's a choke point, and it's not economical to build a road for the worst possible traffic conditions. Then we'd have wasted capacity. EXPENSIVE wasted capacity.

For most of the day, those "choke points" work just fine. It's when everyone is going to or leaving work at the same time, in their car, alone, that things clog up. I'll write more in a minute. I'm out of characters.

[agarillon]

A very nice way of saying, the money we spend on roads isn't going to optimizing them. A tunnel is a choke point if it's not big enough. It cost money to build the tunnels. If we charge, we are paying yet again for the roads and highways. If the gas taxes really aren't enough then the state is charging to little. However, I think there's probably waste ans siphoning highway taxes away from programs it should support.

[SSNewberry]

So charge employers for wanting to keep 9 to 5 hours. After all, it isn't actually the driver that "wants" the supply of road, it is the employer who is the end customer. That way if they employer is making demands on the transport infrastructure, they should pay for it.

[jeremiahthawley]

Great, but only during times of high volume.

[jponcelo]

Denver has tried something very similar with a "supply/demand" fee, where the HOV lanes have been converted to a combination HOV/transponder-based lane. During early hours before and after "rush hour" the fee is something like 75 cents. During rush hour the fee is more like 3 dollars to go some 5 or 6 miles. While it does not solve the congestion problem by any means, it allows for some alleviation of frustration for the price of a latte.

[nbowling]

I really want this guy to run for governor. The I-5 corridor is an abomination.