Amanda Fritz did me the honor of picking up and blogging about the Oregon State biofuels study that I posted here; checking out her blog, I find this interesting post, which deserves to be much more widely read.

Not that I think keeping freeways flowing is Job 1, but because these suggestions all work to promote conservation and efficiency of what we have, which definitely IS Job 1 in comparison to adding more capacity.

Keeping the freeways flowing at rush hour

Posted June 25, 2007 - 8:50am

…One tactic being used on English freeways is to lower the speed limit during peak traffic periods. Variable speed limits take enforcement, of course, but they’ve found the strategy successful in cutting accidents and congestion by 10-20%, for at least two reasons. Reducing speed means fewer, less destructive accidents. And with reduced speeds, the safe distance between vehicles is shorter, so drivers can safely squeeze closer together. Note - that first link is to a BBC article reviewing several options for “Creative ways to beat congestion”.

Another strategy used in the UK I thought worthy of consideration as A Good Idea, is painting chevrons on the highway to show drivers the safe stopping distance at the posted speed limit. Intermittently, signs are posted at the side of the freeway saying something like, “Stay at least one marker behind the vehicle in front”, with chevrons on the travel lanes at the appropriate distance. One study found accident reduction of 56% at chevrons sites, compared with the same stretch of road before the chevrons were installed. We’re taught in Driver Ed to estimate stopping distances, but these visual reminders are much more effective in reminding/educating all drivers.

Congestion pricing in London has decreased traffic, according to my brother who lives at the edge of the Green Belt. I wouldn’t have guessed it by observation. There seemed to be far more traffic everywhere - in London, Leeds, and everywhere in between, than when I visited last in 2001. I noticed far fewer SUVs, even little ones - hardly any minivans, either. Mini Coopers, Ford Focuses and Honda Civics are average size cars. And of course, lots of buses and trains. I wouldn’t want to consider congestion pricing here until we have better bus service, and rapid transit to Vancouver. It’s not fair to charge extra if people have no other way to get between jobs in a reasonable time.

[(*) This is my one point of disagreement: we are already charging more, in the form of congestion, which elevates consumption of fossil fuels and production of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Congestion pricing is one of the most environmentally sound strategies around, and it helps to fund the alternatives. -- GS]

One option I noticed yesterday while driving near Salt Lake City was that the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane was labeled “HOV/Toll”, implying commuters can use it either if they have enough passengers in the car, or if they are willing and able to pay extra to drive alone. Those signs would have been more effective if they had stated how many people are required to make a High Occupancy Vehicle - I looked and looked, and never found out. Luckily driving past Salt Lake City at noon on Sunday, the other lanes aren’t congested at all, so I didn’t have to take the chance that three in the car would be enough to use that lane. If I were a regular commuter, I’d like having the option of finding carpool buddies instead of paying the toll to use the fast lane.

Back to observations in England: Despite the stop-and-go traffic pretty much everywhere I went, I saw very few breakdowns and therefore very few breakdowns causing congestion. Some motorways have free towing zones, where if your vehicle breaks down the tow is free (duh). Another contributing factor to the absence of disabled vehicles may be the country’s requirement for vehicles to pass an annual “MOT test” - a Ministry of Transport mandate that checks a whole host of things like working lights, brakes, “tyre” pressure, etc., as well as emissions. If your car doesn’t pass, you aren’t allowed to drive it. I wonder if some kind of periodic roadworthiness check for vehicles here would reduce the frequency of stalled cars clogging freeways and arterials, improve fuel economy by ensuring proper tire inflation, and cut the number of accidents, injuries, and deaths from failed brakes and malfunctioning signals.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 29th, 2007 at 3:44 pm and is filed under Environment, Livability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.