Following Ants Could End Traffic Jams

I've been in traffic jams that were moving about as fast as the ants!

Ants are incredible. Long ago when I lived in the Caribbean, I watched some ants carry a dead beetle up the wall and out through a window. When they reached the gap between the screen and window frame, they turned the beetle this way and that to try to get it through. (I finally took pity on them and pried the screen back a little. They didn't seem to be too surprised by this divine miracle!)

I can understand how they can follow a path from their nest to a food source, but it is astonishing how they can accomplish a task like this in such a coordinated fashion.

Watching people drive in a lane that’s clearly marked as ending in 400 ft. makes me crazy

I suggest you Google "zipper merge". In crowded traffic conditions it actually speeds the traffic flow when both lanes are used right up to the restriction, when vehicles from each lane alternate to enter the single lane.

Go to the ant, ... consider her ways, and be wise (Proverbs 6:6)

Zipper merge works well as long as everyone plays nice. Drivers annoyed by the traffic backup may not be on their best behaviour, and a bit of selfishness can cause an accident at the merge point and really gum things up.

I wonder how well it is accepted and if it is included in drivers education these days.

Unfortunately, a major portion of the drivers DO NOT play nice.

In an extension to the aphorism "Parents are exactly the sort of people who should not be allowed to have children" I would venture "Drivers are exactly the sort of people who should not be allowed to drive". Several years ago I came across the original research showing that more than 50% of drivers believed that their driving was better than average.

Declaration of interest: as volunteer observer for a UK national road safety charity.

"Several years ago I came across the original research showing that more than 50% of drivers believed that their driving was better than average."

That's been codified as the 'Lake Wobegon effect,' after the fictional town of entertainer Garrison Keillor⁽¹⁾.

One theory behind the effect is that drivers don't notice the people who are handling traffic calmly and politely, they only notice and remember the, for lack of a better word⁽²⁾, 'idiots,' and from that sample set, the observing driver seems to be in the top 1% of driving proficiency.

Notes:

1. "And that's the news from lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."
2. I *DO* have a better, more accurate word, butt I try to avoid using that sort of crude language as a hole in public forums. I think everyone here can guess the worn on their own.

In some places playing nice is against the rules. I picked up this book back in the 80's when I first started traveling to Boston:

Boston Driver's Handbook - Wild In The Streets

According to the original edition I had there are 3 primary rules:

1. Red lights are legally green for 30 seconds after they turn red.
2. When merging, if you make eye contact you LOSE.
3. Never use a turn signal. You don't want the enemy to know what you're gonna do.

You're welcome.

Hooker

And I thought the book came from Victoria, Oz. What an eye opener to see other countries have the same rules.

Rod. J.

I always thought Boston driving was good training for Paris. But there could be others even worse, like Sydney or Bangkok. I wasn't allowed to drive in those cities as military. But I did get to drive in Saigon. That was a totally different education.

Oh, and I was chauffeured around London so I opted not to even try.

Hooker

Seems brain dead morons are universal. I shall have to get out and travel more, see how the other half (99%) live

Rod. J.

Driving in Chicago can feel like being on the set of the new George Romero movie, Highway of the Driving Dead. There are SO many people behind the wheel over here that either do not have a functioning brainstem, have never SEEN a driving test, or are self-absorbed to the point of solipsism, and believe the other vehicles on the road are just figments of their imagination.

And that's just summer driving, that doesn't take into account the joys of winter driving in Chicago, where the expressways can have a sudden patch of black ice because of a 'hidden bridge.' (Due to the way the CTA rail lines are designed in the middle of the highway divider, it can be tough to tell when you are driving on a solid berm and when there is an underpass below you. This is especially problematic on stretches like the I-190 spur to O'Hare Airport, which doubles as the ramp between I-90 and I-294. The 'bridge' sections are short and well-concealed, so you never know if you're on an icy patch until you need to hit the brakes, and then the "fun" begins.)

I agree. It amazes me how people can't figure it out that in heavy traffic, waiting until the last possible second to merge is what causes the traffic in having to stop. As soon as you see the Lane Ends sign, just move over into the lane that is a thru lane. It doesn't stress anyone doing that.

Here are some real life situations regarding urban high capacity roads that surprised me but made sense after I thought about it.

Click Me

Hooker

I am beginning to believe that those people who speed around you believe their time is more important than yours and they are "entitled".

I put forth the, " Elementary grade school drinking fountain theorem".

My hypothesis is that learned behaviours at a drinking fountain in grade schools provide an indicator as to the way children will drive as adults.

This observation can be made by the layperson and those trained in behavioral sciences.

1. The speed ball : this child will race to the fountain but when he gets there will get a short quick drink and they will run quickly away again.

2. The cutter : this child will jump ahead of anyone in line because the fountain is their fountain and they are only sharing it with others.

3. The schmoozer : this child slowly moves up the line and when he gets there he stumbles with the controls and when he finally gets it to operate he drinks like there is no tomorrow ( no doubt you have heard the phrase, " save some water for the fishes " . )

4. The sweetheart : give her a friendly nod, smile or wink and she will even let her most ardent foe step in front for a quick drinky.

5. The layback : this child often waits in the back of the pack or to the side and when the other sheep ( children ) are done drinking will saunter confidentiality up to the fountain and will relish every drop like it was manna from heaven.

"that if one percent of drivers cancelled their trip, all drivers’ trips would be reduced by 18 percent."

How many people can afford to skip a day at work just to make other peoples commute more pleasant? Altruism doesn't pay the mortgage.

The alternative, of course, is public transport. Before you blow a fuse, I agree, yes it works for some communities and not for others. I happen to live in an area where it works.

Well, ants are those insects which crawl into your homes and in public transport, areas live together in groups and create large colonies made of small pieces of dirt often called ant hills.