Trucks in Rush-Hour Traffic
April 2, 2009, 7:30 pm
Filed under:
Quality, Excellence & Design | Tags:
carpool,
cars,
effectiveness,
government,
improvement,
planning,
prevention,
rush hour,
safety,
speed limit,
traffic,
truckToday was the “most exciting” carpool moment in commuting I’ve had in the last 6 years. Following a flatbed semi with a double trailer I noticed a pilot truck down the bank in the center of the freeway with the driver standing in the bed of his truck. Just then the truck in front of me locked up his brakes, producing clouds of smoke while his trailers tried to stop with the cab. Fortunately reactions kicked in and the other drivers and I were able to get stopped without incident. As the adrenaline worked its way out of my system I thought again that there must be some ways to make our roads safer by controlling how trucks and cars share the road.
The truck ahead of me was driving in the fast lane, and had been for 7 miles…
(flickr credit: C.P.Storm)
The good and bad of Professional truck drivers
I have a love-hate relationship with the commercial truck drivers on the road while I commute.
For the good, they are generally better drivers than the people in the cars. Professional drivers often don’t get the consideration they deserve (which would make their jobs easier and less stressful). Because of their experience, training and the weight of their trucks, they tend to be patient and less impulsive. They perform very well in traffic and goodness knows many of these drivers are being watched with the “1-800 watch my driving” stickers and GPS logging. Sitting higher in traffic they often have better perspective than other drivers. Truck drivers are often proactive in traffic, using their rigs to smooth out traffic, turning potentially dangerous stop and go traffic into steady traffic (which queueing theory leads us to understand should improve the overall throughput of the highway). Often they can administer a unique kind of justice with the massive size of their trucks, returning the shoulders to their intended purpose from the “impromptu kamakaze right hand passing lanes”. The professionalism is necessary because of the greater responsibility truck drivers have to keep their heavy vehicles and heavier loads from squishing families in mini-vans.
Normally “truckers” are great, but there are certainly a percentage of truckers whose impatience, indifference to human life, or incompetence regularly puts the lives of other drivers at risk. One day a truck travelled all the way from 176st in Surrey to Mt lehman in Abbotsford in the fast lane, which is a distance of 35 Km, then got out of the fast lane to exit the freeway. I’ve seen poorly adjusted brakes for empty or full trailers result in an impaired ability to stop in time. I’ve seen trucks blowing tires and not even noticing (or deciding that stopping isn’t their best option) despite the obvious risk of flying steel belt radials on the freeway.
I’m interested in what strategies could be employed to make our roads safer within the bounds of our current transportation infrastructure.
Recording devices to help drivers obey traffic laws
I recall seeing on a trip to Europe that commercial buses and trucks at that time had a recording device (some use paper disks) which tracks the driver’s speed, stops, breaks, sleep and other items relevant to safe vehicle operation. In any participating country, police can ask to see the record (paper disk), and can fine the driver for any infraction in the last 3 days, regardless of which country the driver was in when they committed the offence. It is remarkable to observer how obediently the trucks and buses follow the posted speed limit and other regulations. An environment is created where the rules apply whether there is a police officer in attendance or not, and as the driver of our tour bus explained, the fines imposed by automated systems like red light cameras, follow the license plate and then the driver themselves.
Most trucks I see on the freeway are driving close to the posted speed limits, others (like the dump truck with trailer that passed us doing about 140KM/H) need to be fined out of business and off the road for the safety and reputation of the other “good” drivers. No I didn’t get the license because it was covered in mud.
Treating Trucks Differently
First of all; Trucks ARE different. Trucks are;
- slower to accelerate or climb a hill. In rush hour traffic, trucks appear to be the rocks in the stream with the cars being the water flowing around them.
- more intimidating if they choose to use their size and weight to “force” a lane change where it really shouldn’t take place.
- generally travelling farther than other traffic
- more likely to throw rocks up at car windshields than other vehicles. (I suspect tire tread and weight is a factor)
- prone to kick up far more spray (reducing visibility) on wet roads, in rain storms and in loose dry snow
- big and reduce visibility by blocking the view of vehicles travelling behind them.
- heavier, harder to stop and much more deadly if they
- driven by drivers who typicaly have more training and experience than the rest of us.
I’ve observed three really useful strategies for “treating trucks differently”;
- The first strategy I’ve see involves encouraging trucks to use some roads and cars to use others. Many cities have signs indicating “truck routes” and other signs indicating that only trucks making local deliveries are allowed on certain streets. In industrial areas, where corners are wider to allow for the special turning needs of the trucks, cars are the minority. Because cars and trucks typically don’t mix, many of the issues that emerge when they mix are avoided.
- The second strategy I observed in Washington, Oregon & California, where they have a lower speed limit for trucks. The trucks are in the right hand lane (except to pass) abiding by a speed limit which is adequate, but 5-10 miles/hour slower than the cars. There is something predictable about trucks being on the right while other traffic flows past on the left. This ensures excellent visibility for the cars because the trucks are not impeding their vision.
- The third strategy I observed was in Germany on statutory holidays like “Fathers Day” when law requires that all transport trucks be off of the roads. “It is because so many more people are travelling for the holidays was the explanation offered by our bus driver”. Every road side pullout or rest-stop was full of trucks, pennants draped across the front windows, drivers discussing European Football and catching up on sleep.
(flickr credit: austrini)
Perhaps those strategies have their place in British Columbia in the Lower Mainland. I think that our current highways require trucks and cars to use the same roads to go to the same places, so separate routes may not currently be feasible. While a lower speed limit for trucks might help trucks behave more predictably, I know all too well what happens when one driver gets stuck climbing a hill… everyone tries to pass, and here there are only two lanes so the problem snowballs and both lanes slow right down. It won’t be a complete solution to our problem. I think however that the third solution might have merit if it were applied to rush-hour.
A suggested solution for improving rush hour traffic on the #1 highway in the lower-mainland is to create a time when cars can move without having trucks on the road.
In the past 40 years zero lanes have been added to widen the freeway. Our capacity to move traffic has not grown with the population and the traffic. Peak load on the freeway (6-8AM and 3-5PM) occurs because people must arrive at work within a limited time-frame. The absense of truly viable transit or any form of commuter rail in the South Fraser corridor means commuters are in cars. We must reduce the number of vehicles travelling on the freeway during rush “hour”. The transport of many non-perishable goods in many cases is date sensitive and not time sensitive. Did the lumber arrive at 7PM or 3PM? It is still usable lumber. So truck traffic in many cases could be loading and unloading “at the dock” during rush hour, and then hitting the road as the commuters come off of those roads. If we were to regulate that commercial trucks could not be on the road during those hours, suddenly the “truck/car” dynamics would be gone and the roads would be largely homogenous and less full. Clearly there is more definition work to be identified. Where do the in-coming trucks “wait” if they arrive from outside the lower mainland? Chilliwack from the East or South Surrey from the USA? What trucks if any are exempt. are the 3ton cube trucks fine, but 18wheelers are out?
This may not be the idea that solves the interaction of commuters and heavy trucks during rush hour in the lower mainland of BC, but we need to do something… maybe several things to make life more reasonable for car and truck alike, in the interests of safety and efficiency.
Thanks for listening. I’m interested to hear your ideas.
Greg.
Crying Wolf in Traffic
February 25, 2009, 8:36 pm
Filed under:
Quality, Excellence & Design,
Sustainable Living & Social Issues | Tags:
abbotsford,
construction,
construction zone,
cried wolf,
crying wolf,
danger,
exagerating,
excellence,
freeway,
highway,
reasonable warnings,
safety,
school zone,
signs,
speed limit,
traffic,
transcanada,
warning
When we cry wolf in traffic, we desensitize drivers to real dangers and real warnings and reduce the overall safety of traffic.
Growing up I was told a fable about a bored little shepherd boy who “cried wolf” to amuse himself. The townsfolk responded quickly, coming to the boys aid only to learn there was no wolf. Several times he played this game and each time the townsfolk rushed to the field to defend boy and sheep. At last a time came when there was a wolf, but no willing townsfolk to answer the boy’s cries. For the little boy who cried wolf, was the threat real? not at first. There was no wolf, until he had consumed the good will of the townsfolk.
Crying Wolf in construction zones
We see the same principle of crying wolf applied in traffic warning signs located at construction zones. Now I’ll start by stating that being cautious around construction workers and construction zones is important. Where it gets silly is when the warnings stop protecting workers and instead start desensitizing people and effectively teaching them that the signs don’t mean what they say.
Construction Zone Warning Fines Double
At 3 AM in the middle of the night on the weekend when there are no construction workers around, the construction speed zone sign applies just as much as it does in the middle of the weekday when workers are just feet away from the roadway. So when there is no obstacle or risk to workers, the signage causes motorists who would normally drive 110 KM/H must slow to 80 KM/H although the road may be clear, safe and intact. Do you think the public can continue to take the warning signs seriously? I suggest to you that we are not doing these workers the justice of making the construction zone safer during work hours because we wear on the patience of motorists with unreasonable demands. One such work zone is on the Transcanada highway near Abbotsford which has been in place for about a year, while a freeway improvement was being made. A year of reduced speeds? (where full speed still seems safe) It is silly to stretch our warnings to cover too much time.
We also do a disservice to these workers by exagerating the area where speed must be reduced. Often in BC, 1-2 KM before the construction zone, there are signs telling drivers to drop their speed by 30 KM (20 below the limit since the limits in BC seem to be arbitrarily about 10KM/h too low and most drivers compensate.) So you drive for 2 KM at that speed limit until the “real” construction zone begins. As you drive slower, everybody is piled up on your bumpers because nobody else is willing to obey the ridiculous speed reduction. If I drive at the reduced speed, before, during and after the construction, I impede the flow of the other drivers who (reasonably) are not slowing. Likely I’m contributing to an increase in their frustration and that makes the roadway less safe, not more safe. Most drivers know that the sign isn’t to be taken seriously, even though there is an accompanying sign saying that “traffic fines double in a work zone”, and another flashing sign warning that “speed limits are strictly enforced” (which they aren’t) It is another lying sign. I know they are not enforced, it is another rule with no teeth. The police are never there when I go by, pulling over the entire freeway to give it a ticket. STOP LYING!
So too many of these warnings exagerate the danger in area and time. A reasonable person looks at these warnings and they disregard them as silly. I’ve watched ambulance drivers, truck-drivers, Police officers and normal commuters all ignore the “STRICTLY ENFORCED CONSTRUCTION SPEED ZONE” and drive 110 KM/H through the 80 KM/H. In fact the other day there was a whole freeway of us driving at 110KM/h in an 80 zone, nobody flinching or looking guilty, nobody checking nervously for police officers. These freeway commuters have been completely desensitized to the speed limit signs and just don’t believe them anymore because the signs are not reasonble. I imagine that they must be set by some beaureucrat who has never seen how wide and straight and flat this highway is, or how little construction there really is out here, who is out of touch with reality. One of the signs I saw today was a bright orange diamond shaped construction sign, saying “warning no lane markings!”. I drove past that sign on a road that bore, probably the finest lane markings I’ve ever seen, crisp and clear and bright, not confusing in the least. I drove for kilometer after kilometer after kilometer over these new lane markings. It doesn’t make sense that thousands of dollars would be spent on painting the markings on the lanes, only to leave up the warning signs. The irrelevant sign clearly needed to come down the night the lane markings were painted. Construction signs in particular tend to be irrelevant in this area. “Sign Management” does that have to become part of the project manager’s job? Is it already? It doesn’t make sense to start saying something unless we know when to stop. It doesn’t make sense to overstate the danger. Just looking at how people drive indicates how ineffective the signs are. (and should be if they are unreasonable).
Crying wolf in school zones
Here is another example. All summer long I see school zone signs warning motorists to slow to 30 KM/H. but I know that school zones are only in effect on school days, but school days are not during the summer unless “summer school” is in session. But how would a member of the public who did not have a child in summer school know which schools had a summer school running and which didn’t? A law abiding citizen who wants to stay on the right side of the law would have to drive 30 KM/H through every school zone year round just in case a summer school was in session. The same problem extends for the rest of the school year when there are professional development days when the students are not in school. The average commuter has no way of knowing that this is a day when the school zones are not in effect, whereas the 16 year old driver who gets the day off would know this and would drive 50KM/H through the school zone. This is a case of special knowledge. Not enough information is available for the driver to make an appropriate decision. The people have to obey a warning, that really doesn’t apply, they have to drive 30 KM/H just in case the school zone is in effect. How simple it would be to make the principal of the school (who could certainly delegate this) responsible for covering the signs on days when no school is in session. Issue the principal some heavy burlap sacks with zippers he could use, or make the sign hinged, so it could be locked open or closed.
Another traffic oddity I’ve seen in school zones is those “extra” bright yellow little plastic bag signs handed out by the auto insurance companies, which are posted in school zones as children head back to school. Saying “Drive Carefully” “School Zone”. The problem is not with handing these out or setting them up when school is back in session in September, those are great ideas, the problem comes when they get left up all year long and they mean nothing, or even worse, when the school principal and all the teachers have grown so incredibly numb to these signs, that when the school breaks for summer holidays and there are no children at the school, they continue to leave the signs up throughout the summer, only to replace them with new signs when the students actually return to school in the fall. (You can’t make this stuff up!)
Crying wolf at the local Thrift store.
Now not related to traffic I saw something similar the other day in a Christian thrift shop here in Abbotsford. There was a sign there warning about the security camera that was recording people and that shoplifters would be prosecuted. As I looked around at the $0.30 teacups and other discarded items that had been donated. I thought this was ridiculous, who would prosecute anyone for stealing such low value items? Then I looked carefully at the camera, and sure enough it was one of those fake cameras you can purchase at a novelty store with some silly name l ike “view all” or “sky eye” or something. Cheaply composed from plastic. The sign was an attempt to scare people to do the right thing. There was no means of enforcing it, and it was a Lie! “DON’T STEAL OR WE WILL VIDEO TAPE YOU”, well you aren’t going to video tape me, so don’t make that threat. How about you just say “Don’t steal”. In the case of a Christian thrift shop perhaps the sign should have read; “If you need something just take it” since that would fit more with Christian charity and giving to someone who is in need.
We need to be asking ourselves these questions; “Is the warning reasonable?”, “Is the threat real?”.
Conclusion
When I ask you to do something for me and you do it because you honestly believe you are helping me, I’m relying on your good will to meet a need. Now if I keep asking you and you keep helping me because you believe it is benefiting me, this is good, we have a healthy relationship and there is trust. Now if you find out that I’m asking you to do something I don’t really need, but I’m just amused by watching you serve me, or I’m too lazy to stop you when I don’t really need your help, then you will get tired of helping me, and rightly so. This is what is taking place on the freeway. The whole “enforcement side of things” would not be necessary at all if we could ensure that we are not abusing the good will of people.
Thanks for reading, maybe you will find yourself in a position to offer an unreasonable heavy handed warning and you can instead offer something more reasonable. Maybe you put up construction signs. The point is that you can make changes to improve the world we live in. This is about improving things for all of us, because we’re all in this together.
Thanks,
Greg.
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