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> traffic congestion isn't caused by the number of lanes, but the number of intersections. I wish people understood this more. Parallel travel lanes really jus
by trgn 3y ago
> traffic congestion isn't caused by the number of lanes, but the number of intersections.
I wish people understood this more. Parallel travel lanes really just create reptile-brained jostling for position, push-pull accordion effect. it's one thing on highways, but I absolutely can't stand it in city traffic. That constant rush to get to the next intersection, the weaving in&out of lanes just to gain a car length, that mindless churn that when there is a gap it needs to be filled. Like being surrounded by mindless automatons in a weird fill-the-next-gap game of life at best, by insecure typeA losers at worst.
Drivers are a lot more calm and considerate when they just chug along in single file. And it doesn't even impact total travel time!
The weird thing is. It is absolutely impossible to explain this to anybody. There's always the immediate reaction, but see more lanes, more lanes is better, more cars in more lanes. Intuition really fails here, it's an emergent property of drivers being 90% id the second they step in a car, and then throwing these dumb beasts in a system that doesn't curb their instincts.