Green Traffic

So maybe gas prices are down a little bit — and my inner cynic supposes they will remain so until at least November 7 — but they are still higher than they were 2 years ago.

Meanwhile, traffic congestion has become a serious problem in pretty much every major metropolitan area, and it’s only getting worse. Now, nobody likes being stuck in traffic. Really. But there are reasons not to like it beyond the simple waste of time: it’s stressful; it’s a waste of gas; it pollutes the environment for no good reason; it is a drain on productivity, particularly for workers whose jobs involve driving; it can give a city a bad reputation; it might even cause heart attacks. If you want to know more about the problem, you can start with these studies.

One ongoing argument in this arena is whether we should solve this problem with more roads, or with public transportation that gets people off the roads in the first place. Rarely does anybody talk about doing the best we can with the traffic situation we have.

The Washington Department of Transportation, however, is in the middle of a project that will make traffic run more smoothly whether you drive a H2, a Prius, or ride the bus, and they are doing it without a single construction zone! For some years, Washington commuters have been able to select routes based on traffic conditions before ever getting into a car. Now the WDOT is smoothing traffic by precision monitoring and adjustment of traffic lights. It requires no action on the part of motorists, other than to obey traffic laws.

It’s one of those “why don’t they do this everywhere” kind of ideas.

In closing: yet more follow up on McGavick, who it seems has a lot worse than an old DUI to worry about; new story on old news, David Cope was writing computer music well over a decade ago, but Wired just noticed; sharp drop in terror prosecutions “because of weak evidence and other legal problems”; “For young people, U.S. wages trail costs” but tell them something they didn’t know; cutting edge study suggests that fat toddlers become fat teenagers; reality, working, and lactation; and finally, Welcome to the World, Little Prince.