[Edited 8 years later 5 may 2010] We have a few roads that have alot of traffic moving in an "x" pattern, that is the right road merges in and many cars want to reach my left lane, while many of the cars on my road (the left road) wish to reach the rightmost lane (they have to cross sometimes 6 lanes). We are all moving in the same direction, but it slows down the traffic significantly.
Enter the computerized interchange lanes. You are told to be at a certain speed, and you are told what your current speed is (with flashing yellow warnings and speed cameras to enforce this). You are thus moved away from the car ahead of you, and continuing at high speed (either accelerated to or slowed down to) you allow the others to move between your car and the one ahead (and in back).
If you signalled with your lights, the computerized lane "understands" your wish (and says so on the big flashing yellow signs). It then organizes the traffic which continues flowing quickly but in an organized way, so that you can easily reach the right. (Of course you are told when to change lanes).
It may sound like a long idea, but it's only a km or so needed for the system. ____________________ Here's the improvement from May 5 2010 - ten years later:
An array of cameras is clearly seen. A computer controlled system detects the movement and can give exact analysis of what is happening.
You must keep at a distance of at least 2 seconds from the next car, when in your lane. When moving to next lane you keep 1 second. once in your lane you must immediately increase that back to 2 seconds.
You signal, the camera detects it. There are plastic "poles" (flexible so they only make a noise if you hit them) between the lanes, 200 meters apart, as you reach them they flash green LEDs allowing you to cross to the next lane. Once you passed them, they turn into a red LED No Pass sign.
The camera software detects any offenders and immediately signals the number, make and an image to the police. The speeds at this intersection will be relatively slow 75 kmh, but nothing like what happens now where they reach a standstill.
One intensive month of motorcycle police to stop the offenders one km after, and the public will "get" the idea. Give a "warning" and the public wont even hate you!-- pashute, Nov 04 2002 The Stack http://www.kurumi.c...rchanges/stack.htmlA minimal amount of weaving, but a whole whackload of cash. [rapid transit, Oct 17 2004] pashute - isn't that Indian for "prolific"? I fear the reason this idea isn't already implemented is for liability porpoises.-- thumbwax, Nov 05 2002 Your traffic engineers apparently decided that the crossing pattern would be sufficiently infrequent to be paralleled. Otherwise, it would be an interchange with over/underpass, or an intersection. Either of which would be cheaper solutions.-- lurch, Nov 05 2002 I was thinking about exactly the same thing last Friday when I was stuck on the M25 and the road turned into a car park at every junction (even in the outside lane)-- st3f, Nov 05 2002 Not a bad idea, but impractical. How do you enforce the variety of speed limits? How do I know which sign is referring to me and not the guy behind/in front of me? As [lurch] says, over/underpasses make more sense.-- phoenix, Nov 05 2002 Has anyone here ever driven on the Coventry ring-road?
Nightmare.-- Mayfly, Nov 05 2002 phoenix, lurch: I don't think that pashute is proposing an alternative to under/overpasses but a means of merging the traffic joining a road with the traffic leaving it.-- st3f, Nov 05 2002 Ha! Just like "Charlie on the M.T.A.," an old folk song protesting a fare increase in Boston, wherein Charlie doesn't have enough money to get *off* the train & rides, presumably forever. His wife hands him a snadwich every day through the open window. Pretty funny...-- snarfyguy, Nov 05 2002 Sorry, [snarfy], I just deleted my anno as you put up one referencing it.
I was mentioning to [Mayfly] that if you were on the road-ring with this turn-signal controlled system, and your turn signal light burned out, you would never get off...-- lurch, Nov 05 2002 Multiple car capability?-- RayfordSteele, Nov 05 2002 [edited the anno] If the signs don't work, your back in the condition you are today, no signs, so nothing lost.
And there is no room, not for ONE more overpass in my country, besides the terrible ecological toll.
Why would it be cheaper to make an overpass. (Land and bridges and paving cost $millions!)-- pashute, Nov 10 2002 8 years later...
Why do halfbakers only bash ideas instead of improving them?
OK here's my improvement.
One intensive month of motorcycle police to stop the offenders one km after, and the public will "get" the idea. Give a "warning" and the public wont even hate you!
I'm adding this to the original idea-- pashute, May 06 2010 random, halfbakery