# Traffic



## Chris (Sep 11, 2015)

I sit in major traffic everyday, I leave at 4am many times to try and beat traffic with no luck. I guess that is what I get for living here near LA.

 My question and gripe is, how does traffic go from cruising down the highway at 70 mph to everyone slamming on their brakes, coming to a stop for maybe five seconds then we all speed back up to 70 mph and then do it again five minutes down the road? Absolutely nothing in the road or cars broken down or any accidents. This happened to me this morning at 5:30 heading down to San Diego.


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## Sparky617 (Sep 11, 2015)

All it takes is someone tapping their brakes and it cascades through the stream of traffic.   There is a section of I-95 coming out of Northern Virginia where it goes up a series of decent hills when you're heading south.  Four lanes wide and most times of the day a parking lot.  This is my theory of how it happens.  

Right lane - Semi #1 lumbers up the hill at 45 in a 65+ zone.  Semi #2 comes up behind and says I can go faster than that, and he pulls out into the second lane, and does in fact go slightly faster. Semi #3 repeats going to the third lane, semi #4 repeats and goes to the forth lane.  Now we have all four lanes going 25 at best and the traffic grows until you hit the top of the hill.  Speeds go back up to 70+ until the next hill.  It has gotten to the point that I generally avoid I-95 on my semi-annual trips from NC to see family in PA.  I go 50 miles out of my way to head up via I-81 rather than deal with I-95 through northern VA.  US 15 used to be a decent alternative but last time I tried that it took me 90 minutes to get through Leesburg VA.  Never again.


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## Chris (Sep 11, 2015)

Plausible but here in CA semi's can only use the first two lanes, no trailers in the third or fourth lanes.


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## havasu (Sep 11, 2015)

It is like a Slinky. If everyone had the same amount of perception/reaction time (1.5 seconds) we would not have the stop and go traffic.


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## Sparky617 (Sep 11, 2015)

Chris said:


> Plausible but here in CA semi's can only use the first two lanes, no trailers in the third or fourth lanes.




I wish they would do it on I-95, IMHO it would help the problem I outlined.


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## nealtw (Sep 11, 2015)

At the speed limit you can put X amount of cars in a lane. Once you have more cars than the lane can handle the speed has to slow down and nobody wants to do that so traffic backs up.
What is needed is a car counter and a changing speed limit.


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## buffalo (Sep 11, 2015)

Merging traffic has alot to do with in , people coming on and filling the gaps between. Existing traffic. People don't know how to merge and most are rude causing slow downs. 

I think though it's alot to do with just plain ignorant stupid people. Now here comes a rant. I believe 75% of humans are just rude idiots. Now buffalo is a small city and we don't have anywhere near the traffic problems the bigger ones do.......

Yesterday I'm on the I90 , it's past the city heading to the burbs. 2 lanes . Somtimes a semi going 65mph will pass a semi going 64.8mph , I hate that , it takes forever and a lot of cars building up behind him. Anyway I get behind a lady going 65 next to a semi in the passing lane , going slightly faster than him , then slowing down. So yes I'm on her butt a bit , she has oportunitys to move right , but I swear she slows down right when I can pass her on the right. She has 3 small children in the car , I'd guess ages 3-10 . When I finally pass her , by going into the slow lane , she is laughing and ALL 3 kids are flipping me the bird. 

This world is ready for its next extinction. What kind of parent would encourage that??????


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## Sparky617 (Sep 12, 2015)

Buffalo,
Strange way to raise your kids.  It takes all kinds I guess, I just wish there were fewer of some types.  

When I was teaching my kids to drive I would tell them to either pass the person or get behind them.  Never hang out in someone's blind spot.  If you pass them get ahead of them and maintain speed with traffic, don't pass and slow down.  It isn't your responsibility to prevent the world from speeding.  If you don't like the speed of the left lane, go to the right lane.  Often I've found the right lane can be the fastest lane on interstates that are 3 or more lanes wide.  Unless there are a lot of on ramps with people merging.  Go figure.


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## bud16415 (Sep 13, 2015)

A number of years ago I was driving thru Virginia on my way to SC and I was going 70 in a 65 zone and was passed by at least 30 cars. Next thing I know some helicopter was measuring the speed and the whole string of cars was pulled over by two state boys and I was the last in the line. It took them forever starting at the front of the line working back writing tickets. They get to me and I plead my case to no avail and I get wrote up for doing 85 in a 65. The fine was something like 300 bucks and I told him I plan to fight it. He said no problem here is my court date like a month away and I was going to be back in Pa. working by then no way I was driving down to fight a ticket and they knew it. It is all about money and not at all about safety. I was PO my whole vacation and coming home it was a busy holiday weekend mid day when I hit the Virginia line. I set the cruse at 65 and got in the left lane and stayed there thru the whole state. Most of the state I was going along side some 18-wheelers going 65 also. As you would expect the speed traps were set up and no one in my 75 mile long train was going to get a ticket that day. A few cars got around me between 18-wheelers and gave me the international salute when passing on the right. I got home and paid my ticket like the law abiding citizen I am. 

Havasu is correct its like a slinky most of the time because someone like me on that day is causing a few dozen cars to bunch up. When traffic flow is normal I try and get in the place between the compression of the slinky and if you judge it right you can drive all day without the stress. Where you are in Ca is a different thing there are just too many cars and the slinky is getting jammed up non stop. We once had a race here on our local dirt track that someone thought would draw in the people. It was a fill the track race from a standing stop start. They had so many cars on the track there was maybe 3 foot between cars. They dropped the flag and everyone was waiting for the car ahead to move. Then they started slamming into the guy ahead and moving a little. After about 5 minutes they were going about 15MPH and they stopped the stupid race. It&#8217;s the same thing when you have more cars than the road is rated at. Unlike a train where all the cars move at once traffic cascades. The slower the traffic the more cars there are on the road at any given time. 

They don&#8217;t want you to go the speed limit. They one want the cash flow and two the roads would be grid locked. All the police out there giving tickets is a waste of manpower. Why not have a pace car with a wide flashing bar going across all the lanes and going the speed limit if speed limits were what we wanted. Pay the guy driving it min wage and we would all be safe. Or better yet with GPS tracking just make cars only go the speed limit. I just got a letter from my insurance company wanting me to put a thing on my car so they can study my driving speeds and habits and I &#8220;could&#8221; get my rates lowered. Truth is around here speed controlled cars might work. In Ca. you would have more gridlock if they did it. They want you to speed and its these safe drivers that are causing all the problems.


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## frodo (Sep 13, 2015)

I use my cruise control,  lock it in 5 mph over the limit.

I run up on the  h no you dont" people

I am cruseing along, when a slower is in the slow lang. i move over to the left,  to ease on by.

as i stat to pass, they speed up. "oh no you dont"

then, they slow down.  I am on cruise , so I catch up to them again,

They speed up. {oh no you dont']

so i pull back into the slow lane.  and the SOB will slow down

i go back to the fast lane and go by


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## buffalo (Sep 13, 2015)

I typically never go 5mph over the speed limit , unless I'm on the thru way and I will go with the flow. But yes , the townships don't want speeding or dwi to stop. It's the only reason half of the tiny towns are still afloat . In this day and age thier could be chips in every car not allowing you to go above a limit in any given area. You could have a breathalyzer in every car to start it. My brother in law is good friends with who ever is in charge in his tiny town. He said that the cops that don't make money , don't get hours. Thier budget would be empty without it.


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## frodo (Sep 13, 2015)

buffalo said:


> In this day and age thier could be chips in every car not allowing you to go above a limit in any given area. You could have a breathalyzer in every car to start it. .



No sir, 
I am not in favor of regulating ever aspect of my life.

they have breathalyzers for convicted drunk drivers.

I am not convicted or a drunk


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## buffalo (Sep 13, 2015)

frodo said:


> No sir,
> I am not in favor of regulating ever aspect of my life.
> 
> they have breathalyzers for convicted drunk drivers.
> ...



I hear that , but they all ready do.
If you don't speed or drive drunk you have nothing to worry about though. Maybe the ability to override ?
My only real point is that saftey isn't thier concern , they want you to break the law.


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## Sparky617 (Sep 13, 2015)

Even if you don't want to speed, I highly recommend the App called WAZE available for iPhones and Androids.  It is a crowd sourced GPS.  People will alert you real time if there is a speed trap ahead.  It is also very good at telling you when traffic is slowing and if there is an alternative route to avoid it.


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## oldognewtrick (Sep 13, 2015)

2nd vote for waze, I use it a lot during morning and evening rush hours.


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## slownsteady (Sep 13, 2015)

I was driving in the san Francisco area several years ago when I happened to be right behind a police cruiser. He put on his lights and began a serpentine move across all four lanes of traffic at about the speed limit. i think he did this for about a mile. We all had no choice but to go the same speed as him. First and only time I ever saw that.

As for traffic: too much metal and not enough concrete.


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## Chris (Sep 13, 2015)

They do that for traffic breaks. Usually to make a gap to pick up something in the road or get a broken down car across the lanes.

Happens all the time around here.


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## nealtw (Sep 13, 2015)

Up here they finally made it elligal to drive slow in the fast lane. Boy did that make a difference.


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## frodo (Sep 14, 2015)

we have feeder roads here.  i use them to go around traffic jams.

for you that dont know what a feeder is.

a road that parallels the highway. on both sides of the highway.

you jump off the highway,  go around the traffic jam, and get back on at he next ramp


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## elbo (Sep 15, 2015)

Here where I live ( ((slo )) cala florida, where there is a high amount of elderly old Fa*ts , who think that the posted speed limit is really too fast, after all, they know more than the people who set the limits,so they drive 10 mile an hour below the speed limit no matter what it is.They then drive in the outside lane until they see something that interests them , and cut across 3 lanes of traffic to get to a store, and can't understand what all the squealing brakes and horns are about
But I still rather live in fla.  than anywhere else


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2015)

First day of rain this season. People can't drive. Every highway is stopped with accidents.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1442334408.704519.jpg


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## havasu (Sep 15, 2015)

I'm been sitting on my couch all morning laughing at how the traffic is stopped solid everywhere this morning. So far we have received 2 1/2" of rain, which is about what we received all year last year. Sure am glad I just put on a new roof and rain gutters. Everything is dry and draining perfectly.


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2015)

Coming back from San Diego this morning I past three new accidents in 15 miles of the straight highway.


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## nealtw (Sep 15, 2015)

Chris said:


> Coming back from San Diego this morning I past three new accidents in 15 miles of the straight highway.



Were you expecting to see old accidents:


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2015)

That would be neat except with how many we have there would be no road left.


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## nealtw (Sep 15, 2015)

Everybody forgets the road conditions change when it rains especially on the first day when oil floats to the surface.


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## frodo (Sep 15, 2015)

around here the tires they run on the hoopty's are called maypops.  

no tread and may pop at any time.  when it rains they slid around like a pin ball machine


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## bud16415 (Sep 15, 2015)

I don&#8217;t know what the first day of rain feels like because that happens a couple times a week here. But the first day of snow is always pretty fun. People live here for their whole life and forget to put the winter tires on until we get a hard snow. Then you go to the tire shop and they are working 24-7 for a week with people bitching they cant get tires. Then you have the drivers that slow down to 15 mph first snow and the other ones still thinking its summer doing 75mph by the end of the winter the 15mph people are doing 75 and the 75 people are all looking for a new car.


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## frodo (Sep 15, 2015)

I was working in Colorado.  i drove over the uncompahgre  ,  Dallas Devide,  everyday  at 5am  and 5 pm

one day, the road was snow packed,  I was going to fast at around 40 mph  in 4 wheel drive. when a corola passed me.

up ahead the road turns "switch back"   I see the car go straight, the rod turned, AIR BORN.

I slowed down and stopped.

They were ok, car was stuck in 10' of snow.  So I let them sit in my truck with heat running till cops showed up.

YEP,  new tires every year.  slow down,  4,  90lb  bags of quickrete over the rear axel.


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## slownsteady (Sep 18, 2015)

I always used to put 3 or 4 bags of topsoil in the back of the truck for the winter. In the spring, the topsoil got used.


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## bud16415 (Sep 19, 2015)

I would warn about putting anything in the back of the truck loose for winter weight. If you do sand bags for traction or soil like SNS suggested is best. I see people around here with bricks and blocks for weight. Two dangers are weight shifting in an emergency and weight flying in a collision. 

I built a 400 pound steel weight bumper that is attached to my rear hitch receiver for plowing. Many advantages, one the bed is free to haul things, two the weight is as far back as it can be counteracting weight of the plow, three the CG of the weight is low, 4 the lower bumper prevents you riding up on a snow bank when backing up, and number 5 is that massive bumper backs people off your butt and if not and they slam into you they cant dive under.


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## slownsteady (Sep 19, 2015)

sounds fine...if you have a plow on the truck. Otherwise, the weight is best over the drive wheels, don't you think?


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## nealtw (Sep 19, 2015)

Without the plow the extra weight of the bumper would lift the front end and lower control.


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## Chris (Sep 30, 2015)

I have been working in San Diego lately. Traffic is not half as bad as going to la.


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## bud16415 (Oct 1, 2015)

Chris said:


> I have been working in San Diego lately. Traffic is not half as bad as going to la.



Half as bad would put you just about at the awful point then? Half as bad for me going to work would be seeing 3 cars instead of the normal 6. Im only traveling 30 miles though.


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## Chris (Oct 1, 2015)

Yeah it still takes almost two hours for a one hour drive.


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## slownsteady (Oct 1, 2015)

just send your personal drone


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## Chris (Oct 1, 2015)

That would be nice.


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## oldognewtrick (Oct 1, 2015)

Just buy a helicopter. You know a chopper pilot don't ya?


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## Chris (Oct 1, 2015)

I do but I have a plane pilot buddy I like much more and would actually fly with. Chopper guy scares me in a car.


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## oldognewtrick (Oct 1, 2015)

Chopper guy scares me just reading his posts.


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## Chris (Oct 1, 2015)

Wait til you meet him in person


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## havasu (Oct 1, 2015)

Had a friend who was from what I heard was a great pilot. He eventually buys his own plane and invites me up to go flying with him. We took off and once he reached 10,000 feet, he lights up a joint and says, "wanna hit?" I asked for him to put out the pot, and immediately land the plane. I called him every name in the book, and after leaving, I never spoke to him again. I later found out he died by "suicide by cop" and was shot by one of my cop buddies. Obviously had a death wish.


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