As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Carpool lanes: literally the most important issue of our time!

124»

Posts

  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    Well I'm sure we could get better commuter stuff if not for evil oil companies ruining the world with their choking pollution crack!

    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • ExrielExriel Registered User regular
    Yeah, commuter rail all the way. Though I think the effect of buses is actually the inverse: The buses don't impact traffic because they share the same roads. Rather, because they share the roads, the traffic impacts the ability of buses to get passengers to their destinations quickly and reliably, thus reducing the number of people willing to ride the bus in the first place, thus creating more traffic, omg head explode vicious cycle! Transit systems need to be as functionally distinct from one another as possible. The congestion effect from moving in and out of HOV lanes, as highlighted in the OP, is a perfect example of this.

  • redxredx I(x)=2(x)+1 whole numbersRegistered User regular
    shryke wrote: »
    Phyphor wrote: »
    dlinfiniti wrote: »
    the key to all of this is to let computers drive for us so there will never be stop and go
    it'll just be smooth and continuous with cars all talking to each other going 50+ mph with inches between each vehicle
    wave of the future

    Until hardware failure or interference / jamming

    We'd have humans as backup for a long time.

    Basically it'd be like a more advanced cruise-control.

    I would not be confidant on the ability of a human to realize there is a problem and successfully take control of the vehicle while inches away from another vehicle at freeway speeds before hitting the vehicle in front or straying into an adjacent lane.

    Those distance will close gradually as we become more able to rely on computers and more cars become computerized.

    As it stands, I'm not at all confidant in the ability of humans to realize there is a problem and successfully take control of their vehicles while feet away from other vehicles, at freeway speeds, before hitting another vehicle.

    Human fail to do that all the damned time, and computers aren't going to be doing their hair, eating, road raging, texting, or making poast.

    They moistly come out at night, moistly.
  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    Great now you'll tell me that all restaurants in the future won't be taco bells!

    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • r4dr3zr4dr3z Registered User regular
    Having lived in both Seattle and California Bay Area, I'd say that Seattle's system is better for reducing traffic - most HOV lanes are in effect either all day or from 5am-7pm. In California they had 6-9pm and 3-7pm. The net effect of the California HOV schedule is that most people just wait to leave for work until after 9 and end up time shifting to 10:30-7:30 for their working hours (or more if you happen to work in tech). If the purpose of the lane is to accept multiple people driving in one car to reduce congestion, why pretend that there are times of the day with less congestion where the HOV lane should be open? Also with Seattle's all-day HOV it makes the HOV lane more of an express lane for busses to drive in, although eventually even the HOV lane gets congested.

    If they were to open the HOV lanes then more people would drive until the roads are at capacity. I remember hearing something about some highway either in Houston or Dallas expanding to like 8 lanes and they said it would never fill up, but of course in the end more people moved to the city and congestion was still a problem.

    Here's a cool video about how to improve public transit in Chicago: http://vision.transitfuture.org. It includes ideas like ART busses that get special lanes to avoid traffic - kinda neat.

    I saw someone mention motorcycles earlier. Motorcycles occupy less space and are more fuel efficient, so they are definitely justified in using the HOV lanes.

    All that said, the net effect of the HOV lane is still almost 0 motivation to want to find someone to carpool with. Carpooling is just too inconvenient when you don't have a set schedule of working hours.

  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    mcdermott wrote: »
    dlinfiniti wrote: »
    I'm always scared of going into those HOT lanes when I have multiple people in my car
    How are the detectors supposed to know not to charge my transponder

    With the RFID ones here you used to get a shield, if I recall, to prevent the charge. Now they do Velcro, you just take the transponder off and throw it in the glovebox I believe.

    The California ones have a manual switch. You turn the switch on if you're carpooling.

    As a car goes through the checkpoint, there's a light signal that tells nearby CHP if you're carpool or not-carpool.

    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    The vast, vast, vast majority of traffic accidents are caused by human error, so the idea that robocars would be better at driving is not exactly far out there.

    Also, what fucking insane system has a HOV lane that only acts as a HOV lane at rush hour, and is closed at all other times? What idiot came up with that?

  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    I have to say, I didn't even know carpool lanes were a thing anywhere until pretty recently. We just don't have them in Canada.

    Instead, we have things like buses & light rail, with parking lots in suburbia where you take your car and then jump on the train / bus.


    Somehow this seems more sensible to me than paving an entire highway lane, calling it 'HOV', crossing your fingers and hoping that people start carpooling to get in on that sweet, sweet HOV action.

    With Love and Courage
  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    The Ender wrote: »
    I have to say, I didn't even know carpool lanes were a thing anywhere until pretty recently. We just don't have them in Canada.

    Instead, we have things like buses & light rail, with parking lots in suburbia where you take your car and then jump on the train / bus.


    Somehow this seems more sensible to me than paving an entire highway lane, calling it 'HOV', crossing your fingers and hoping that people start carpooling to get in on that sweet, sweet HOV action.

    In Toronto there's one on the 404 from the 401 up to about Hwy 7 and another few here and there are major streets. Although I think the ones on streets are taxi-bus ones mostly.

  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    Yeah; Toronto is where i first heard about carpool lanes / taxi lanes.

    You don't get stuff like that in the prairie provinces or west coast - just public transit (which everyone has complaints about & isn't perfect, but certainly strikes me as a better idea).


    I guess I'm biased, though: I (mostly) love the bus. Like, I'm going to Nanaimo tomorrow, and basically the entire trip is scheduled / planned out for me and someone else is doing all the work - all I have to do is walk to a stop at the right time and drop a ticket in a bucket. None of the stress of driving, 95% of the convenience.

    With Love and Courage
  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    The Ender wrote: »
    Yeah; Toronto is where i first heard about carpool lanes / taxi lanes.

    You don't get stuff like that in the prairie provinces or west coast - just public transit (which everyone has complaints about & isn't perfect, but certainly strikes me as a better idea).

    We have both.

  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    Fencingsax wrote: »
    Also, what fucking insane system has a HOV lane that only acts as a HOV lane at rush hour, and is closed at all other times? What idiot came up with that?

    It boggles the mind. The only explanation I can come up with is that maybe cops want an easy way to ticket people in that lane? So outside normal HOV hours, they can just chill there and get free money for the city from people who are in the lane and not have to crane their necks to see if they can spot two people in the car.

    Or now that I think about it, maybe they want the lane exclusive to emergency vehicles or something outside of rush hour?

    Neither of those explanations is sufficient, though. I have never actually been in that lane because I make a conscious effort to avoid rush hour traffic whenever I'm visiting. My understanding (having relatives in Dallas and being a former driving resident there myself) is the work commute hours in Dallas are ridiculously bad, so at least it is open during that time, but a lot of people are just so used to the HOV lane being closed that by the time they consider using it (if they do at all), they've already passed the entrance. Then it's a long wait in gridlock to get to the next one.

  • Mego ThorMego Thor "I say thee...NAY!" Registered User regular
    Monorails everywhere is the only answer.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWDeEU3qLA

    "Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas."

    kyrcl.png
  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    Mego Thor wrote: »
    Monorails everywhere is the only answer.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWDeEU3qLA

    "Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas."
    hqdefault.jpgMonorail! MONORAIL! MONORAIL!

    8i1dt37buh2m.png
  • Mego ThorMego Thor "I say thee...NAY!" Registered User regular
    "My work here is done."

    "But you didn't do anything!"

    "Oh, didn't I?" *beams up*

    kyrcl.png
  • UltimanecatUltimanecat Registered User regular
    As a SoCal resident, I'll just say that carpool lanes here are often behind a double yellow, and can only be entered or exited legally near freeway entrances and exits, so if you are in it and NOT moving at least as fast as other lanes (preferably faster), then you're kind of defeating the purpose. I feel as if some people use it not to actually travel faster than other traffic, but to avoid having to make or be subjected to lane changes from other drivers.

    But I never go out of my way to carpool, especially when the benefit of using one in SoCal might amount to being able to cut five minutes off of waiting bumper to bumper on the 405 before it bogs down to a standstill just like the other lanes.

    SteamID : same as my PA forum name
  • VeeveeVeevee WisconsinRegistered User regular
    edited April 2014
    Mego Thor wrote: »
    Monorails everywhere is the only answer.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWDeEU3qLA

    "Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas."

    Oh god, the memories. I thought I forgot that line, but I guess it never truly leaves you

    Veevee on
  • jefe414jefe414 "My Other Drill Hole is a Teleporter" Mechagodzilla is Best GodzillaRegistered User regular
    My stupid company is moving to a different town. My 2 mile commute is increasing to a 17-20 mile one . I'm hoping to carpool with people from the town I live in but man. Some people have this (to me) strange NEED to have their car. "What if there's an emergency and I need it"? I'll drive you home. I mean, seriously? You're worried I'd tell you to go F yourself?

    Of course the best option was find some decent office space in the nearby city so I could take the commuter rail but nope. Good chance I'll be adding 9K miles/year to my vehicle wear and tear (not to mention gas). Having your company get bought out sucks.

    Xbox Live: Jefe414
  • r4dr3zr4dr3z Registered User regular
    Another dumb thing about carpool lanes is that it's just dangerous to have people whipping by at 55 mph while you're stuck going 5 mph. There's always those people cutting each other off to get to the lane, and not caring about the people already moving when merging into the carpool lane.

  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    Fencingsax wrote: »
    Also, what fucking insane system has a HOV lane that only acts as a HOV lane at rush hour, and is closed at all other times? What idiot came up with that?

    It boggles the mind. The only explanation I can come up with is that maybe cops want an easy way to ticket people in that lane? So outside normal HOV hours, they can just chill there and get free money for the city from people who are in the lane and not have to crane their necks to see if they can spot two people in the car.

    Or now that I think about it, maybe they want the lane exclusive to emergency vehicles or something outside of rush hour?

    Neither of those explanations is sufficient, though. I have never actually been in that lane because I make a conscious effort to avoid rush hour traffic whenever I'm visiting. My understanding (having relatives in Dallas and being a former driving resident there myself) is the work commute hours in Dallas are ridiculously bad, so at least it is open during that time, but a lot of people are just so used to the HOV lane being closed that by the time they consider using it (if they do at all), they've already passed the entrance. Then it's a long wait in gridlock to get to the next one.

    Work commutes in Dallas are effing miserable. I remember many afternoons taking the bus back from my middle school in Oak Cliff and spending like an hour on the highway. Or trying to get from my Dad's shop to the main post office then back home between 5-7 o'clock. I'm sure there are worse cities (LA) but goddamn did it suck.

    I do like how some streets in Dallas, like Live Oak in places, have variable lane directions depening on the time of day. So in the morning there are more lanes going towards downtown, then it flips in the evening. Or at least it used to. Don't know if that's still the case. Haven't lived there in years.

    steam_sig.png
Sign In or Register to comment.