u-n-l-o-c-k-i-n-g GRIDLOCK you are the key – don’t let traffic jam
By adopting and practicing the CARma Green Driving Techniques we can all help u-n-l-o-c-k gridlock and reduce the toxic emissions that are poisoning our future. Sharing this website and these simple methods with your family, peers and co-workers will ensure that we all breathe a little easier and get safely home on time.
Let's begin today, JOIN now and here are three green-driving techniques that will help you get to where you're going faster:
> ease the pace you'll arrive faster by slowing down and keeping a steady pace
> leave some space you'll have less stop-n-go and a smoother commute by not
tailgating
> encourage the merge
you'll keep traffic moving by slowing down and letting your
neighbor merge
Situation Critical:
On a daily basis, Atlanta traffic jams affect approx. 1,000,000+
commuters, trucks and/or service vehicles. It’s a mobile
“penalty box” for living in Metro Atlanta – our livelihood is financially
and psychologically penalized each morning and afternoon – 250 days a year.
Speeding To Gridlock:
Commuters trying to beat the traffic jams are actually causing them. They’re illegally traveling 15-30 MPH above the speed limit without
the required safe distance from the driver in front of them. Combine
speed, no margin for error (buffer distance from the motorist in front
of them) and driver distractions with some sort of suddenlead-driver
emergency slowdown and here is one of the most predictable
catalysts for our traffic jams. The scene repeats itself every morning
and afternoon, Monday – Friday in the following scenario[1]:
A.6:30 a.m. early commuters (representing approx. 20% of the drivers) are [illegally] averaging 70 - 80 MPH with 3 car
lengths as a buffer distance to the car in front of them.
B.7:00 a.m. mid-morning commuters (representing approx. 35% of the drivers) enter the system trying to keep the high rate of speed, but the buffer is decreased to 2 car lengths.
C.7:15 a.m. as more mid-morning commuters enter the system a problem arises causing one or multiple lead-drivers to quickly slow down (10 – 20 MPH). Naturally, with no safe distance from the car in front and a split-second of delayed reaction (cell phones, food, music, etc.) from the next driver, he/she over compensates and slows down even more rapidly, which sets off a huge domino-effect chain reaction.This creates a massive phantom slowdown where the incident occurred and now a stop-and-go, accordion reaction 1/4th mile behind the incident develops as other speeding drivers pile in.Naturally, somewhere in the thick of this caffeine-powered rat race there will be the inevitable $1000.00 dollar fender-bender causing one of many $100-500 thousand dollar mega-jams.
D.7:30 – 9:00 a.m. add the remaining approx. 45% of the commuters into now pre-existing traffic jams. 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. reverse the model. - add the heightened work-related stress from the day you’ve just finished and 10% more traffic (this includes shoppers and visitors) leaving Atlanta than the morning commute.
[1]GDOT Based on average daily transportation figures from GDOT Navigator.
