MS Clearflow To Help Drivers Avoid Traffic Jams

Pioneer Woman writes "Microsoft announced plans to introduce a Web-based service for driving directions that incorporates complex software models to help users avoid traffic jams. The system is intended to reflect the complex traffic interactions that occur as traffic backs up on freeways and spills over onto city streets and will be freely available as part of the company's Live.com site for 72 cities in the US. Microsoft researchers designed algorithms that modeled traffic behavior by collecting trip data from Microsoft employees who volunteered to carry GPS units in their cars. In the end they were able to build a model for predicting traffic based on four years of data, effectively creating individual 'personalities' for over 800,000 road segments in the Seattle region. In all the system tracks about 60 million road segments in the US."

Stop Traffic Jams

[Mikya]

I have a way to help stop traffic jams without fancy algorithms: stop tailgating the person in front of you. That way every time that person slows down slightly you don't have to slam on your brakes, thus requiring people behind you to slam on theirs causing a buildup of cars that aren't going anywhere even if traffic isn't that heavy.

Clear type

[Hatta]

Microsoft's Cleartype technology makes text more blurry. So what can we expect from Microsoft's Clearflow?

Re:Stop Traffic Jams

[BlowHole666]

Sure if you would just get off your cell phone, get out of the left hand lane and drive the speed limit. I would not have to tailgate.

Re:Stop Traffic Jams

[Silver Sloth]

Better still - use public transport.

Ok, ok, I know this sounds like a troll but seriously, when we have a situation where traffic speeds in major cities is declining endlessly we need to look to long term solutions, not tinkering with the symptoms.

hmm, does it learn?

[beyonddeath]

The first thing I thought, and I have thought the idea of analyzing traffic flow on a wide scale could give the individual an edge, as soon as the masses know the way around traffic, the jam will just move. So unless this algorithm can automatically figure out where traffic is stuck, and route the users in many different ways, this will eventually not work. Not to mention that in many cases (ie try entering downtown toronto from etobicoke), there are only so many ways to go. In my example you have some side streets, bloor, eglington, gardiner, lake shore. But they all suck, and if you suggest the small residential roads, you'll probably sit just as long waiting to turn from road to road. I've tried. But if it helps at all its worth it imho, its not my money!

Not enough roads? No, too many cars

[davidwr]

More precisely: Too many cars at a given time.

There are several ways to solve this problem:

1) build more efficient roads, i.e. better traffic control, better lane design, better/fewer intersections, better signs, etc.
2) build more roads, but only up to a point
3) reduce the number of cars on the road at peak times
3a) reduce the number of cars
3b) spread the load out over time

Mass transit and congestion taxes are ways to do 3a. Getting employers and schools to shift work times is a way to do 3b.

Re:Swings & Roundabouts

[n3tcat]

We just need more roads

Or less cars. Use the bus!

Re:Not enough roads? No, too many cars

[lastchance_000]

Let's add telecommuting in there. There's nothing about the work I do that requires me to be in the office more than one day a week (aside from the mandate from management). I'm sure many people on the road with me are in the same situation.

Re:Stop Traffic Jams

[Attila Dimedici]

Sorry, that wouldn't work, because then the guy behind you would switch lanes to get in front of you. Then the guy behind him, and so on, forcing you to slow down to maintain that distance.

Re:Stop Traffic Jams

[interiot]

Ding ding.

Go to Tokyo at rush hour, and observe. The only slowdown that occurs is when one train becomes too full, and people have to wait ~3 minutes for the next one. I never saw a situation where people had to wait for more than one additional train, because the trains can hold a lot of people because they're packed like cattle-cars. On the other hand, Japanese seem to be much better at being fairly quiet and avoiding talking on their cellphones when in such dense quarters, while Americans seem to think that the subway is the best place for talking really loudly on the phone.

Re:Stop Traffic Jams

[gstoddart]

Better still - use public transport.

Ok, ok, I know this sounds like a troll but seriously, when we have a situation where traffic speeds in major cities is declining endlessly we need to look to long term solutions, not tinkering with the symptoms.

I don't know about your city, but in my city, taking public transport to and from my office would take 2-3x as long on my commute by car, and likely involve at least one transfer.

The problem with public transport, is if it doesn't actually improve my day and make my commute better, I'm not taking it. It's that simple. Make it faster and more convenient to get to my destination, and I'll consider it. I'm not really willing to add 2 hours to my day.

It really is that simple (for me at least). I'd love for public transport to be more usable, but, it isn't. Until it is, the vast majority of people will stick with their cars.

Cheers

Re:Stop Traffic Jams

[squizzar]

I'd suggest what is called 'defensive driving'. If someone wants to belt it along at ludicrous speed, then let them do it, it's probably best not to be near them. Getting in their way will only encourage them to try something stupid to get round you.

If people looked at driving as a cooperative effort - try and let everyone drive at the speed they want to - then everyone ends having a lot smoother journey. If everyone only acts in their own interests it all gets a bit more stressful and scary.

Necessity of tailgating

[tepples]

I can't understand why anyone would want to follow too closely.

For one thing, if you don't tailgate in some cities, some idiot is likely to "cut you off", or change lanes between you and the car in front of you.

Re:Stop Traffic Jams

[PJ1216]

Not really. Normally if you keep going the same speed as the car in front of you, but keep a safe distance, the guy behind you is normally intelligent enough to see there's a car in front of you. its the car thats passing a whole bunch of cars on the right that will try to squeeze in there when he/she realizes they can't go any further at their speed. All in all, its the really slow people and the really impatient people that cause traffic. if you're not passing the cars in the lane to your right, you're too far to the left. if you're passing cars ON their right side, you're also causing problems because even if they wanted to move over, they won't cause now they have to worry about all the cars passing them. i hate passing on the right much more than i hate people who don't drive the right speed. the right side is the biggest blind spot on the car and while i'm not sure if there are any statistics out there, its probably a major cause of a lot of accidents. both speeders and slowpokes just need to learn how to drive.
 
And no, weaving in and out of traffic with 'efficiency' and not having any accidents does *NOT* mean you know how to drive. it means the exact opposite. If people actually drove according to the rules, there'd be less traffic and people would get where they need to go in a more timely and consistent fashion. I've actually done the test of speeding in the left lane going home from work a couple days and then did it a couple days just doing the speed limit. there was no significant difference. in light traffic, yes, there is a difference, but in rush hour traffic, there's really none.

Prisoner's Delimma

[IdahoEv]

If people looked at driving as a cooperative effort - try and let everyone drive at the speed they want to - then everyone ends having a lot smoother journey. If everyone only acts in their own interests it all gets a bit more stressful and scary.

I've always thought that traffic is basically one massive game of Prisoner's Delimma [wikipedia.org]. Defecting (swerving lanes, cutting people off) can gain you a bit of time relative to traffic, but only at the cost of slowing overall traffic down. The more people do it, the worse the congestion becomes for everyone.

Re:Necessity of tailgating

[bunratty]

What's the problem with cars changing lanes between you and the car in front of you? I notice many times people trying to keep me from changing lanes, even when I need to in order to perform a necessary merge or get to an offramp. I think you need to loosen up a bit and not hog the road. It's perfectly okay and even necessary for cars to change lanes. Driving isn't a race.