The Science Behind Traffic Jams

This infographic will highlight the root causes of traffic jam. So next time you encounter traffic jam, at least you already know some of the possible causes of traffic jam. Your car might be one of the reason for the traffic jam building up behind you.

Visit HERE for the infographic.

Stuck in A Traffic Jam: Get a Motorbike and a Substitute Driver for Your Car

Imagine that you are driving your car to go to an airport to catch a flight and yet you are stuck in a traffic jam which surely causes you to miss the flight.

Similarly, if you are heading for an urgent business meeting but you are stuck in traffic jam.

It would be a wish for you to have someone to help you to get to the airport faster so that you will not miss the flight. However, if that someone can fetch you to the airport faster, what about your car which is still stuck in the traffic jam.

In Beijing, where drivers can get stuck in a traffic jam for hours or even days during an epic traffic jam, the services are really blooming. Just by contacting an agency using your handphone, someone will substitute you as the driver of the car while you are being whisked away using a motorcycle to the desired destination.

Enterprising locals see the opportunities to do business to help people to escape the traffic jam with a price.

I supposed that the business is really genuine since it will be very difficult to let some other people to drive your car and not to worry about your car being stolen or getting vandalized somewhere.

We are still fortunate in Malaysia since there will never be an incident to have that kind of epic traffic jam that can go on for several days. The traffic jam that we encountered usually can be cleared within several hours and usually travellers will adjust their timing by getting to the airport much earlier in order to avoid from missing flight.

Read HERE for some of the measures used in Beijing to reduce traffic jam in the cities.

States to Have Highway Monitoring Systems by 2016

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule requiring the states and U.S. territories to have real-time traffic monitoring programs operational by Nov. 8, 2016.

The rule says, under the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users” (SAFETEA-LU), the DOT is required to establish a “real-time system management information program” that provides the capability to monitor—in real-time—the traffic and travel conditions of the major highways of the United States and to share that data with state and local governments and with the travelling public.

The rule does not specify which type of monitoring technology to be used. According to the notices issued by the U.S. DOT, the rule establishes minimum parameters and requirements for states to make available and share traffic and travel conditions information via real-time information programs.

In addition, while the rule becomes effective Dec. 23, 2010, the establishment of the real-time information program for traffic and travel conditions reporting along Interstate system highways shall be completed by Nov. 8, 2014, while a real-time information program for traffic and travel conditions reporting along the state-designated metropolitan area routes of significance shall be completed by Nov. 8, 2016.

A system to monitor the traffic and travel conditions of the major highways of the United States and to share that information to improve the security of the surface transportation system is needed to address congestion problems; to support improved response to weather events and surface transportation incidents; and to facilitate national and regional highway traveller information, the notice says.

I think the rule is implemented to acknowledge the importance of real time information in solving traffic congestion and the importance of disseminating the information to travellers. Hope one day the importance of the real time traffic information is realised in other part of the world especially to those cities that are experiencing chronic traffic congestion during peak hours.

For further information, read States to Have Highway Monitoring Systems by 2016,

Hopefully, the congestion problem especially during major festive seasons will be the thing of the past.  Also read HERE for traffic congestion during festive season.

The system will also help in preventing this type of unnecessary traffic jam.

The system can also alleviate traffic congestion during incident on Penang Bridge.

The system can also be used in other part of the world to reduce traffic congestion.

Unnecessary Traffic Jam

I had to drive to Kuching yesterday for a meeting at 9 am and decided to drive just after 8 am to avoid traffic jam along the route. However, I and most of the road users had to endure unnecessary traffic jam as shown above and I kept on wondering what was going on because most of the time the traffic jam wasn't that bad along the route.

After patiently crawling along the route then I realize what causes the severe congestion. Just look at the picture below and everybody's time is wasted due to inconsiderate workers collecting rubbish along the road.

Since the road is a popular road to Kuching, the workers should have carried out their works early in the morning i.e. before rush hour so that everybody's time is not wasted.

That is one of the major reasons for unnecessary traffic jam in Kuching or in other place in Malaysia i.e. due to inconsiderate people hogging the busy road. Their action causes so much lost of opportunity time for other road users.

So as for myself, I had to endure for almost an hour in the traffic jam which usually took only half an hour to reach my destination. Luckily, I managed to arrive at the meeting place on time since I had decided to drive earlier than usual that day.