Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/07/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Nathan, A long time back, possibly the late seventies traffic management theory in the U.S. was much like you describe in the Netherlands. Most cities have detectors to regulate the flow of traffic. I very pleasantly recall main arteries in Kansas City where if you traveled in a specific speed range you could go miles without hitting a red light. Now they use the sensors to manage blocks of traffic by turning lights red to stop traffic from flowing smoothly. It is not at all unusual to see the green light one block down turn red just as your light turns green. Of course humans being human speed through the block trying to get through the intersection before the red light gets too stale. Now the cities are installing cameras to let you know where to send the fine for running the red light. But wait, it gets better. Large office complexes hire off duty police to stop traffic so their employees can get out of the parking lot. So the opportunity to go completely down one whole block unstopped is not possible because officer friendly makes you stop so forty or fifty cars can get in front of you. I stay sane currently as I am only about 1.45 miles from my job and the traffic insanity doesn't last long enough to trigger the aggressive impulses. Don don.dory@gmail.com On 7/20/06, Nathan Wajsman <nathan@nathanfoto.com> wrote: > > In the Netherlands, while we all complain about the traffic, the reality > is that the Dutch are doing a masterful job of managing around the > inescapable fact that this is such a crowded place. For example, in my > town (a city of about 180,000 people and growing fast), most traffic > lights have sensors under the road surface so that the timing of red and > green can be electronically adjusted to the length of the queue in the > respective directions; there are separate bus roads (not just lanes, > physically separate roads) so the buses are always on time and emergency > services (which also use these roads) can always get to their > destination quickly. In older cities like Amsterdam or Utrecht such > things are not feasible, but a visitor to Amsterdam will immediately > note that this is a city built for bicycles, pedestrians and public > transport, not for cars. > > The freeways are what they are--they are good and smooth and also have a > lot of traffic management features--but one simply has to accept that > getting into a big city in the morning and out in the afternoon means > being stuck in traffic most of the year (right now, with the summer > vacations in full swing, traffic is mercifully light). The Dutch do not > want to pave over their country, and it is IMO a wise choice. > > Nathan > > Don Dory wrote: > > Tina, > > A couple of years ago Atlanta finally came to terms with the EPA > > regarding > > the comingling of storm and sanitary waste; essentially they doubled the > > sewer and water taxes and built a really big bore under a large part > > of the > > city to store run off until it could be treated.(Chicago residents will > > recognise this ploy). This released the sewer connection embargo that > > had > > stopped major construction in Atlanta. So, the developers are busy > > building > > up many thousand condo units on already jammed surface streets. If it > > takes > > you thirty minutes to go 0.9 miles now, and they are adding 2200 condo's > > with an average of 1.65 cars per condo, how long will it take you to > > go 0.9miles in one year? Answer, you will walk as you can check out > > the parking > > lot. :) > > > > Don > > don.dory@gmail.com > > -- > Nathan Wajsman > Almere, The Netherlands > > SUPPORT FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BUY DANISH PRODUCTS! > > General photography: http://www.nathanfoto.com > Picture-A-Week: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws > Seville photography: http://www.fotosevilla.com > > Stock photography: http://www.alamy.com/search-results.asp?qt=wajsman > http://myloupe.com/home/found_photographer.php?photographer=507 > Prints for sale: http://www.photodeluge.com > > Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >