Stop and Go
I've officially decided never to live somewhere that I have to commute. This decision was inspired by my drive from New Haven, CT to Richmond, VA today. I think I hit all the possible traffic I could because this drive that Mapquest claimed would take 7 1/4 hours actually took me 12 1/2 hours. Granted I stopped for gas, bathrooms, lunch, and even to take a nap, but I was still driving for a good 11 hours. And the day was worsened by rain. I didn't have the occasion to use my new polarized sun glasses because I was driving through storms where the fastest speed my windshield wipers could go was not sufficient.
I did not grow up in a city, and as a result, will never appreciate the city life, including real traffic. First of all, I paid ridiculous tolls to drive on these roads. What is that about? If I'm paying fees, they should at least be able to guarantee a reasonably fast trip. Isn't that the point of toll roads? This is what is wrong with Americans these days: we pay for unsatisfactory service (like cell phones and medical insurance, and, as I recently discovered, toll roads). If the road is packed with cars all paying tolls, you think they could afford to create another lane or something. Where is the money going to? Making service stations with cheap gas and Burger Kings? I'm specfically talking about the New Jersey Turnpike here, but I'd rather have a sane drive then french fries every 20 minutes.
The part that confused me most was the brief sections of freeway where we suddenly went from stop and go to 45mph. What conditions changed in those stretches of road that allowed us suddenly to speed up? And why couldn't we maintain our speed? I believe scientists (trafficologists?) have proven that if one driver taps on his or her brakes, that can create enough of a domino effect to stop traffic behind that car. I was on a personal crusade to keep my braking to a minimum. That's the other thing about Americans driving in traffic. We speed up and then slam on the brakes instead of accelerating or de-accelerating gradually. By leaving enough space between my car and the car in front of me, I could take my foot off the gas and downshift if needed. It's called flow. Why can't American drivers understand this? Instead, they just cut into that nice space I purposely left for myself. And I should point out that despite this stopping and going, my car reported that I was still getting 30mpg, as much as I do on the highway. So it is a much more fuel-efficient way of driving, as well.
So yeah, that was my day. I know it's easy to complain, but the moral of my complaints: don't let me live where I have to deal with traffic.
posted by Hannah @ 11:42 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Oh my god, Hannah, I'm sorry! I'm glad we got you out the door more or less on time. I hope you had enough food. And toll money. And sleep afterwards.
I totally, totally sympathize about the pacing and braking issues on the freeway. Also, if you drive in this sort of environment for awhile, eventually your sense of an appropriate following distance changes to one that most drivers won't cut into ... sigh.
By the way, I haven't seen your missing earring, but I found your ring that you thought you lost in Moscow. It was in my couch cushions.
Take care!
Hannah, I'm sorry, that sounds like an awful drive, even worse then driving down from Santa Cruz to San Diego through LA on friday during rush hour.
Computer scientists have done traffic modeling and its absolutely true what you say about speeding up and slowing down. But its the prisoners dilemma, if everyone were to drive slow, we would all arrive faster on average. but each individual (present company excluded) decides to drive like a nut, giving rise to chaotic (in the mathematical sense) traffic conditions where a simple tap on the brake or a curve in the road causes a butterfly effect and backs up traffic.
First, if you were only on the road for 12.5 hours, I'm amazed naps, bathrooms, gas, lunch etc. only took 1.5 hours total since you claim you spent 11 solid hours driving.
Second, obviously, a lot of your issues can be attributed to the driving conditions, the rain. If it was raining as hard as you claim, it's no surprise that drivers were driving defensively and it took longer than predicted, especially on such a long drive. If your highest setting of windshield wipers couldn't handle it, I know for one that I wouldn't want to be driving fast, and would be being very conservative.
Next, additional lanes don't solve traffic problems. They just don't. Traffic will expand to fill the number of lanes it has to fill. Having less drivers on the road solves traffic problems. This involves comprehensive public transportation and a change in mentality among the public about their entitlements to take their own vehicles everywhere. Maybe the rise in gas prices will eventually impact some of this.
In this regard, you're as much a part of the problem as every single other driver out there.
Overall, I have no sympathy.
Some replies to the anonymous and unsympathetic commenter.
First, i took only a half hour nap, a half hour for lunch, and quick bathroom stops. Perhaps it was two hours total of stops.
And it wasn't raining the whole time. In fact, the traffic was the most spread out during the really rainy times.
And third, i have only driven that road once in my life. And that was wednesday. I am part of the problem, yes, but i am not commuting every day.
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