Andrew Price
Former Web Editor, GOOD.is
- June 18, 2008 • 2:10 pm PDT
- + responses
Researchers from the Japanese "Mathematical Society of traffic flow" have shown how a traffic jam can develop for no apparent reason. They had 22 drivers circle a track and asked them all to keep a constant speed of 30 kph. Small fluctuations in people's speeds caused little disruptions that snowballed into full-fledged jams. The traffic jams propagate around the track like a wave through a spring.
[youtube width="425" height="355"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suugn-p5C1M[/youtube]
We wonder how many day-to-day traffic slowdowns are due to this phenomenon, as opposed to a real capacity problem on streets.
[youtube width="425" height="355"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suugn-p5C1M[/youtube]
We wonder how many day-to-day traffic slowdowns are due to this phenomenon, as opposed to a real capacity problem on streets.
