Maggie's Farm

Ah, evidence. Traffic wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for all those other idiots.

The zipper merge can be a wonderful thing, until someone doesn't pay enough attention and doesn't leave a gap, or does it on purpose, or a rubbernecker breaks while in the single-lane to see the what the h... they are doing.

And "maintain speed and distance" that is a laugh. When driving long distance I like to stay in the hole between wads of cars. It seems human or perhaps cars are pack animals and will mass together rather than travel alone down the highway. But I've found there is no speed you can go where you won't eventually start encountering the back of the pack ahead of you or the head of the pack behind you and often you get tangled up as one pack migrates through another.

It is interesting that the ideas for smooth traffic is for there to be no individuality.

But the article doesn't address one big issue I've notice for routine traffic jams in spots, perspective. I-270 in Maryland coming toward DC has a lot of rolling hills. Drivers top one hill see what they perceive as a backup going up the next and brake sending a wave into the following traffic. Then they go down the hill before finding no traffic jam and smooth flow at the bottom up to the next crest. Perspective, the cars going up the hill appear backed up like clouds on the horizon. They need to put sight distance barriers to block the view. Same on some curves on the Beltway where drivers, unaccustomed can see to far ahead and perceive the traffic as backed up. Same on Southbound I-5 in Seattle crossing the Washington Ship canal, brake, causing densification only after across the canal to discover almost no traffic. There is a similar spot, caused by a curve rather than a hill, on the H-1 in Honolulu.