| Main site: trafficwaves.org Watch at 0:01 to see the fight between "cheaters" versus "blockers" which causes this exit-lane backup. (The backup shown at 0:01 isn't the worst I've seen at this spot.) ALSO TRY HITTING 0:01 OVER AND OVER REALLY FAST. The Backpackers' rule: if we leave trash on the trail, so does everyone else, and the whole environment immediately turns to crap. If we pick up our own trash, the garbage piles don't vanish. They just build up more slowly from the many OTHER people who always leave a trail of crap behind them as they go. So, if we don't like it, we have to pick up other people's trash as well as our own. But sometimes, rarely, a little cleanup goes a long way, and one single person can make a huge difference. During evening rush hour on Seattle I-5, this clogged left lane usually has a 1/2-mile backup. This exit-only lane leads down into the high speed "Express Lanes" under the city. If you manage to exit here, there's rarely congestion in the Express Lanes. You might gain 10min! But the exit itself is jammed. And whenever it's jammed, you might lose more time in the jam than you'll gain from getting on to the express lanes. Also, if you miss getting into the left lane early, then you're screwed, since nobody in the row of ~200 cars will let you in. There is no "zipper merge." Also, merging drivers coming in from righthand ramps are not "cheaters," yet they're still aggressively blocked by those already in the jam. It's impossible for anyone to ... |
