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Re: [Phys-l] Historical trivium




On Nov 21, 2010, at 12:15 PM, LaMontagne, Bob wrote:

Marty,

I will concede the point that there has not been an intersection invented as yet that New Jersey drivers haven't rendered totally useless :-)

I often drive from Providence to both Vineland

Vineland is very nice also.

and Princeton (lovely town), NJ, to judge figure skating competitions. New Jersey drivers have a quaint custom of entering and filling an intersection as long as a traffic light is green - thereby totally blocking the other traffic from crossing the intersection when it is their turn.

A lot of towns have painted the main intersections with a criss-cross block and signs saying, "don't block the box." If they catch you blocking the intersection you get a ticket.
Another thing in vogue now is building traffic "calming" humps on streets where the limit is 25 or 30. Some neighborhoods have two or three of them in close proximity to make traffic slow down. My neighborhood has dips at main intersections so if you don't slow down your undercarriage will be ruined. I once saw a muffler come off some guy's car who tried to go 40 through one of those intersections!

I try to plan my driving so I am going through NJ in the late evening so I can arrive at my hotel without being terrorized.

We say the same about New York drivers or Philly drivers. When I used to drive to Mass. through CT, those drivers were the worst of all, especially through Waterbury to Hartford, and above to Springfield. I drove through Providence on the way to the Cape a couple of times and your rush hour (which I was warned to stay out of but we couldn't avoid it), was like off hours compared to North Jersey. North Jersey traffic is by far the worst in this state and maybe anywhere except for the infamous jams of Southern California. Anyone from Cal. want to comment on that?

Bob: If you think the Princeton area is bad try 287 and the Parkway at 5 pm any day of the week, especially on weekends during the summer when a million people converge on their way to the shore.) They built a section of the Turnpike at exit 8A south bound where six lanes go down to 3 in a matter of a mile causing traffic backups even at 2 in the morning! (Been there, done that)

For those of you who live elsewhere, people here tell where they live by the exit number. As in, "I live at exit 7" (Turnpike) or if they are closer to the Parkway, "I live at exit 120." In South Jersey we might use the exit off 295, as in "I live off exit 32." (this is the location of my house for real, in case anyone wants to stop by. ;-)

By the way... interesting and funny thread... way off any conceivable physics topic but refreshing nonetheless for its lack of rancor.

Back to physics... anyone know of the studies that say if you build more lanes you cause more jam ups? I believe it was MIT which did a study of the Boston tunnel system to show how traffic jams form. I saw it on one of the cable channels a while back. And I once saw the simulation of what additional lanes and intersections did to make traffic worse, not better; just can't find it now on utube. Anyone have that vid?

Marty