Solutions for Avoiding Traffic? 151
gregwbrooks asks: "Technology lets us wardrive and kludge together interesting uses for the OnStar equipment in our vehicles, but what about the one thing I really need: On-demand, real-time traffic information? These guys have a BREW-based app that downloads real-time traffic maps to your cell phone -- it just rolled out in Chicago and Milwaukee, and apparently is going national soon. What other options are out there for someone who doesn't want to fiddle around with tiny web pages on his phone while driving?"
If only... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:If only... (Score:2)
Solution to traffic problems (Score:1)
Re:If only... (Score:2)
Ha! I used to call in traffic reports to a local, popular radio station from my 11 pound cellphone (when most Slashdotters were pooping at random) and one trick was to report a blockage in order to redirect cars to somewhere else other than where I was he
Re:If only... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:If only... (Score:2)
Re:If only... (Score:2)
"Favorable Conditions," AFAIK in this case do not mean a nice sunny day. If you have low Cirrus(?) clouds, the HAM radio signal can bounce off the clouds and come back down far away (and the reverse works as well). I'm trying to become a HAM technician at the moment -- it's pretty easy, but I might not remember the specifics of this one exactly.
listen to the radio for traffic reports (Score:1)
Re:listen to the radio for traffic reports (Score:2)
The radio reports are generally useless...
Re:listen to the radio for traffic reports (Score:2)
If anyone's looking for enhancements, some counties even put sensors at intersections that can detect road surface and air temperature. This should help with ice conditions. For a county I used to work at, I produced a web page that displayed this information for the transportation department geographically to assist them in determining road material (type
Re:listen to the radio for traffic reports (Score:2, Informative)
Also usefull is a website from the chp [ca.gov] with traffic incident information (this is what the radio and TV traffic report people are likely reading)
Would be more usefull if I had an easy way to access this information while in the car. But a quick check before heading out on the freeways is always a good idea escpecially as it gets closer to 5pm.
Re:listen to the radio for traffic reports (Score:2, Informative)
They get 20-30 seconds for traffic. We have 16-20 (depending on how you count them) major freeways in the Chicago metro area that most Chicago stations cover. They pick and choose - I'm lucky if I get my Edens report before I have to decide whether to take the highway or not.
I would HAPPILY pay $2.99 a month for this, if it was offered on my carrier.
Re:listen to the radio for traffic reports (Score:2, Interesting)
Heads-Up-Display (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Heads-Up-Display (Score:4, Funny)
On second though, maybe a Sidewinder would be cool, too....
Re:Heads-Up-Display (Score:3, Insightful)
CB Radio is simple, it's been around for many years, and while it's not exactly open source, it is available for everyone.
Re:Heads-Up-Display (Score:2)
Anyone go to Internet World last year?
Yogesh Gupta spoke on just such a technology and how useful it would be. His big theme was integration of technologies, and he talked about your PDA interfacing with your car. So your car would look for Starbuckses, Starbucksss...coffee shops near your 2:30 meeting. I sounds like a good idea to me.
I always thought cars should be equipped with some sort of short distance communication (wifi, bluetooth?) and a HUD so you can receive messages from other drivers. Thin
It depends. (Score:1)
Re:It depends. (Score:2)
What would be really viable is if *only I* knew about the traffic free route. Now THAT would be technology.
Re:It depends. (Score:2, Funny)
You'll need to join the Stonecutters for that.
If you live in seattle.... (Score:2, Interesting)
This was also talked about previously [slashdot.org].
Re:If you live in seattle.... (Score:3, Interesting)
I recently installed PDA Traffic [pdatraffic.com] onto my Visor Prism w/VisorPhone for my once-a-week commute from Federal Way to Bellevue and back... It's been working great -- when I use it.
Last week I didn't use it because I assumed that I-90 would be the best route, as it usually is, but I was wrong... there were multiple accidents and I-405 was actually the better route!
If only I had consulted the all-knowing PDA...
What if we don't? (Score:2)
(Venture capitalists take note: this would be huge in L.A.)
Re:What if we don't? (Score:2)
For me, the way I beat traffic is take my motorcycle.
Re:If you live in seattle.... (Score:2)
Depends on when each of you are driving the route, of course--but straight mileage measurements are rarely the deciding factor in optimal routes around here.
Re:If you live in seattle.... (Score:2)
I-90 is faster for me when alone, but I-405 is faster when I'm with my wife due to the use of the HOV lane. Also, I'd rather go a bit out of my way if it avoids gridlock. I can't stand going 100 MPH is typical for me, which augments travel times.
Re:If you live in seattle.... (Score:2)
I can't stand going <30 MPH on the freeway... >100 MPH is typical for me, which augments travel times.
NPR Did a Story on 511 (Score:5, Informative)
Story about automated traffic in SF [npr.org]
511 (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:511 (Score:1)
Re:511 (Score:1)
We're just not as cool as SF...
Re:511 (Score:2)
It also means that, worst-case, you have road-centric DOT people looking at what they can do quick, simple and without a lot of hassle. That's why you see a lot of 511 weather and weigh-station info, but less of the useful-to-real-commuters data.
Doesn't matter (Score:4, Insightful)
I had a 55 mile commute for a while, right through the heart of Minneapolis, and through the worst strechs of traffic in the twin cities. I looked at all the traffic info I could, but in the end I rarely changed my route. Sure I had a few alternates, but a couple miles of stop and go is still faster than any of the alternates that take me 20 miles out of the way. Side streets do not go through, nobody wants traffic in their neighborhood (the kids can and do play ball in the street) so they make it impossible to take anything but major routes. Combine that with traffic lights timed to stop you on the secondary streets and you are much better off stoped on the freeway than moving on a "empty" side street.
Course public transportation would be better, if it worked... I'm not holding my breath.
Re:Doesn't matter (Score:1)
Yeah - if we could get the metrotransit folk to pull their heads out of their @#$% and go back to work.
Q: What other options... (Score:1, Funny)
A: Pull over and then fiddle around with tiny web pages on your phone.
XM Radio (Score:4, Informative)
Of course, the cost of the hardware and the monthly subscription fee may turn many off.
Shameless plug... (Score:2)
Telecommute or move (Score:3, Interesting)
The other solution that I've found is to live no more than five miles from the office. This gives me a typical commute of about 10 minutes from the front door to my desk.
Re:Telecommute or move (Score:1)
Re:Telecommute or move (Score:2)
Best way to avoid traffic jams is to not drive (Score:5, Insightful)
As soon as everyone starts using fancy new technowidgets to find alternate routes routes to traffic jams, traffic will be routed to those alternate routes. Unfortunately, the alternate routes usually won't be able to handle alot of traffic, so the alternate routes will get jammed up as well.
If you get some new device today it would probably give you the edge up for a few years. But just think of what else you could spend that $1000 on.
Around here, we have spent $billions to build new freeways and roads to reduce "Traffic congestion", however these new roads always end up being just as clogged as the old routes.
I've been riding my bike & taking public transit to work for 7 years now, and it's great.
Re:Best way to avoid traffic jams is to not drive (Score:5, Informative)
William Beaty studies traffic for a hobby. He created some "traffic experiments" and describes his results and theories in "TRAFFIC WAVES: SOMETIMES ONE DRIVER CAN VASTLY IMPROVE TRAFFIC" [amasci.com]. It's pretty interesting stuff.
Please mod parent up - awesome link (Score:2)
Re:Best way to avoid traffic jams is to not drive (Score:4, Interesting)
Bikes are nice if your talking a short distance or level ground.
Busses are allways a joke they are allways slower than a car offer no real bonus besides possibly being cheaper than a car.
Low speed trains are good if traffic is normaly bad if your on a well served route.
One of the problems with building new freeways is they are just that another path not an increase in the existing paths capacity. Adding alternate routes is good if you have a management systemt hat can divy things up in the right porportions.
Re:Best way to avoid traffic jams is to not drive (Score:2)
Re: No panacea (Score:2, Insightful)
This moves the traffic and parking problems from downtown to the high-speed train stations. High speed rail lines need widely spaced stops; the train's high peak speed is wasted each time the train must brake, wait for passengers to board and disembark, and re-accelerate ba
Re:cost of auto ownership (Score:2)
Re:cost of auto ownership (Score:2)
Four solutions for you... (Score:2, Insightful)
2. Move - be closer to work or be somewhere where there's less commuter traffic hindering your journey.
3. Change jobs - ie, commute somewhere else instead.
4. Use public transport - use your travelling time productively, reading a book or something.
Re:Four solutions for you... (Score:2)
2. Can't - house prices are out of control in towards the city
3. Working on this one
4. Can't - public transportation doesn't go there.
Re:Four solutions for you... (Score:2)
5. Vanpools, if you can find a vanpool running along your commute. If there's an HOV lane it's faster than driving. Plus you can sleep, read, and not put all those miles on the car.
The traffic picture is on the web (Score:3, Informative)
With that all you need to see the traffic situation is wireless web access. Maybe you could use Wardriving. Ironically, then the worse the traffic backup is, the easier it would be to see the traffic map!
Re:The traffic picture is on the web (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.gcmtravel.com/gcm/maps_chicago.jsp [gcmtravel.com]
My complaint about the site is that it's notoriously unreliable, is often subjected to pre-rush hour slowdowns (right when you need your rush hour data the most), and often (once-twice a week during these times) just doesn't return data. It sorta renders Blue-Cove's solution useless. :-)
Fortunately, tollways times are now posted (as measured by people that have I-Pass units), the I-80 corridor west of I-2
Re: Solutions for Avoiding Traffic? (Score:2, Funny)
Not getting a post on
What do you mean, not THAT type of traffic?
One technique that works for me (Score:3, Insightful)
I used to drive on a major highway daily where the traffic was literally bumper to bumper, stop and go. During rush hour, the fastest route (except HOV lanes) was to stick to the far right, even to stay in the "local lanes" on the right of the jersey wall.
It doesn't make sense to me, but that tactic has shaved hours off my commute time over the years.
Just a thought.
Re:One technique that works for me (Score:3, Funny)
It gets even worse (or better if you know) around juncti
Re:One technique that works for me (Score:2, Interesting)
If there's traffic, I always stayed in the righter lanes. Either in the number 3 or 4 lane on a four lane highway (I believe you count lanes where lane 1 is on the far left).
Anyway, I notice two things during rush hour traffic. It seems majority of the drivers are rushing (obviously). They think the left lane is the fastest of all the lanes. Therefore, these drivers w
Re:One technique that works for me (Score:2)
XM Radio Traffic (Score:4, Informative)
Change your schedule (Score:5, Insightful)
Change your schedule by 15-30 minutes.
Awhile back, I realized that if I left my house at 7:30 I'd get through traffic and land at work at 8:30, BUT if I left my house at 8:15 (45 minutes later) I could get to work by 8:45. That's a half hour cut off my commute each way, or an hour a day, gained by simply letting everybody else fight to get to work first. When the masses are mostly in town and parked, I leave my house. My work hours are only shifted 15 minutes! I arrive at 8:45 instead of 8:30, I save an hour a day on my commute, not to mention the reduced gas consumption, pollution, and aggravation.
Leaving 45 minutes earlier just to sit still on the parkway did seem pretty silly. Am I the only one with a wee bit of flexibility in my schedule?
Re:Change your schedule [the Quiet Hour] (Score:2)
There's another guy in my office who gets here at 7:00am and leaves at 3:00pm. He gets his 'quiet hour' before the day starts.
As long as yourr boss is someone who is a reasonable person you can ge
I tried this, but it didn't work for me. (Score:2)
However, I have to be in the office by 11:00 AM sharp and meetings usually start at that hour. Also, I wouldn't have any time to prepare my workday (e.g., read e-mails
Re:I tried this, but it didn't work for me. (Score:2)
In the UK... (Score:3, Informative)
Koan (Score:2, Insightful)
Only when you truly understand this that the solution will become evident.
Credit where credit's due (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Koan (Score:1)
Re:Koan (Score:2)
sigalert.com (Score:2, Informative)
The best part is that you can login with your WAP enabled phone and check your predefined routes and see which one is the fastest.
Re:sigalert.com (Score:1)
Solution: Keep a decent buffer in front of you (Score:4, Insightful)
On the nights I have chorus rehearsals [northernlightschorus.com] I drive to work. Because that's after the morning rush hour, I drive to work in the fast line, but I leave a decent space in front of me in case the cars in front get nervous.
In the evening, traffic on the 401 can be bad .. that's when I start in the slow lane while everyone else is battling for space in the fast line, but by the time they're fighting their way off the highway, I'm back in the fast lane again.
Whatever lane I'm in, I always try to leave a few carlengths in front .. what that does is to allow me to absorb the shock waves that propogate back through traffic during rush hour. It looks like I'm being an idiot by the cars behind me, but they probably don't realize that they're going at a constant speed rather than speeding up, braking, speeding up, braking, speeding up, braking. Which one do you think is better for your car and your mileage?
And please, Slower Traffic Keep Right!
Re:Solution: Keep a decent buffer in front of you (Score:2)
Traffic Waves (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Solution: Keep a decent buffer in front of you (Score:2)
The world is an amazing and wonderful place.
Re: (Score:2)
Available through AT&T Wireless (Score:2)
It's called TMC. (Score:3, Informative)
It's been in production in Europe in a number of countries; I have a TMC-capable navigation system in my car, and traffic jams show up nicely (and I'm rerouted accordingly).
Relax (Score:5, Insightful)
Just sit back, relax and enjoy it. People, especially in the US, seem to develop a habit of making themselves frustrated over traffic. Poor time planning, habitual generalized aggression, assumed impatience for no real reason, whatever, people get irritated over something that getting irritated about only makes worse.
Give yourself plenty of time, take it easy and relax. How often do you get a good excuse to get away from everyone and chill? Use it. Hell, take the slow route.
Actually- (Score:2)
So turn down the road and the first light is blocked because of a cop car. Fine- he's in a hurry to an accident, go. Miss that light.
The next light I'm stuck behind Grandma that won't turn on red, with no vehicular traffic in either direction. 2 minutes gone.
Drive down the lane and come upon a ford truck pulling a tractor bed. Must have been some stupid commercial. J
Re:Actually- (Score:2)
Thank you for proving my point. You are suffering from Time Sickness.
"You say to relax, well, that's a typical day"
I most certain
Re:Actually- (Score:2)
That 45 minutes is a time where I have to keep concentrated on a task I don't enjoy. It's not as if I'm able to relax when driving lest I miss the grandmother of twenty-six stopped in front of me reading each individual sign to find the bingo club.
Driving is a state of alertness, and the only reprive is auditory media. Most of the radio stations are mediocre at best (though I have a community radio station in my city, it's uneven.) I'm not thrilled at bu
You're missing the obvious solutions (Score:2)
1. Get a new apartment that's closer to work.
2. Take mass transit. The subway never has traffic jams.
3. Live downtown, that way you're commuting the opposite way from rush hours and have the other side of the freeway all to yourself. You're trying to get out of downtown when peopl
Re:You're missing the obvious solutions (Score:2)
Re:You're missing the obvious solutions (Score:2)
5. Find alternate routes on surface roads that avoid freeway congestion. I knew a secret route between West Hollywood and Downtown LA that took only 15 minutes, freeway drivers can't even get off at the downtown exits in 15 minutes.
What is it, what is it? I usually take San Vicente to Venice or La Cienega to 10. Is there a better way??
Re:You're missing the obvious solutions (Score:2)
The trick is getting out of downtown, there's a way through the tunnel (2nd street I think) that gets you into a tricky interchange under the freeways, you end up on Beverly. Take Beverly to the Pico-Rivera area and you have multiple choices from there, I usually stick to Beverly
Re:You're missing the obvious solutions (Score:2)
Ultimate Traffic Avoidance (Score:2, Funny)
Problem solved. No need to thank me.
Answer (Score:2)
Trains.
Busses.
Taxis.
Bicycles.
Feet.
It's your own fault (Score:2, Redundant)
Translated:
Answer: Traffic is not a problem if you don't drive. Ride a bike, walk, or catch public transport. If you live in a place where this is difficult, move somewhere where it isn't.
Re:It's your own fault (Score:2)
Not all of us have the luxury of being rich & able to move on a whim just because the local area has no public transportation.
Motorcycles (Score:2)
LA has huge urban sprawl and a fairly inept mass transit system. It's there, but unless you can take a Metrolink train, using the system will take you a LONG time.
So here's my plan: turn one lane of all the major freeways into a motorcycle-only lane. It doesn't have to be wide enough for a vehicle. Then require people to take a stringent safety test before being allowed to use the lane, and offer tax breaks or some other
Motorbike (Score:2)
Alternative routes are useless (other than providing a sometimes welcome change of scenery), as a previous poster pointed out, because eventually they become known to everyone, and equally clogged. Then councils install schemes to stop the traffic clogging up those roads and you're back to the main road. Sat Nav may provide some short term gains, but eventually when everyone has it there'll be no benefit. Sat Nav will probably only help with one-off journeys.
Cue usua
Re:Motorbike (Score:2)
Also in many parts of the UK bikes can use bus lanes.
The solution to traffic congestion? (Score:2)
Good Articles (Score:2)
Traffic Patterns and How To Erase Traffic Jams [amasci.com]
Traffic Psychology [hawaii.edu]
Sticks! (Score:2)
My company's solution... (Score:2)
Re:Do the right thing (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunately mass-transit leaves a lot to be desired in the majority of U.S. cities.
Re:Do the right thing (Score:1)
Re:Do the right thing (Score:1)