The Voorhees law of traffic: when overtaken slow cars seem to always catch up at a red light
www.theguardian.com
Maths researcher explains seeming inevitability of phenomenon experienced by many motorists

Those who use the bike know this very well: in the city, speeding motorists overtaking other cars, only get one thing: they arrive first to the next red.

With a simple model, the author estimated the probability that one car that overtakes another, will then be reached again at a later red light. Then he estimated the probability that the same thing will happen when there are multiple successive traffic lights, as usual in the cities.

The result is that as fast as an aggressive driver goes, the presence of multiple traffic lights makes it virtually certain that a slower driver will catch up

So, if someone aggressively overcomes you, when you reach him at the next traffic light, you can tell him that it is mathematically proven that he/she is an idiot.

In addition, this study has implications for the 30 km/h city, demonstrating how in urban areas the traffic lights determine the travel times, not the maximum speed reachable between one traffic light and the next.

The original scientific article is here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/4/260310/481212/The-Voorhees-law-of-traffic-a-stochastic-model

crossposted from: https://poliversity.it/users/rivoluzioneurbanamobilita/statuses/116419204210303856

  • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    9 hours ago

    This is where you get to properly reducing lanes can improve speeds.

    My town has a major road lined with strip malls that used to be two lanes in each direction. It was also one of the most dangerous and aggravating roads as there was always someone maneuvering for position, and sudden stops or lane changes when someone wanted to turn.

    Then a few years back they restriped it, plus coordinated the lights. Now it’s one lane in each direction and that lane is a through lane. Every strip mall gets a dedicated turn lane, so there’s no more reason to maneuver, no more sudden stops or lane changes. The stop lights are more likely to let you through.

    Now it’s clear and measurable, everyone’s individual speed is down, accidents are down, but stopping for any reason is way down so you get through the busy section noticeable faster. And it’s much calmer