The oddities of traffic
I drive over the Westgate bridge frequently. Since extra lanes opened, so it is now five lanes both ways, and after an extra lane was added to the Williamstown Rd city-bound on-ramp, with "feeder" lights at the top thereof, it has become much less congested.
Presumably traffic will increase to about the previous level of congestion (as a free bridge it rations by queue--time taken--rather than price). But, in the meantime, I have been appreciating the easier flow.
The other day, I was stuck in the second lane city-bound, which was moving much more slowly than the other four. It turned out to because an oil tanker-with-second-tank had run up the back of a van. The way some truck drivers get very close to cars in front, I am surprised that I do not see that sort of accident more frequently. A couple of days later (yesterday), going back to the office, I could see an accident on the other side where a rather back-smashed car was facing mostly the wrong way. A lane changing that went wrong, I am guessing. It had seriously stuffed the traffic all the way back to the Domain tunnel.
I do a lot of driving, to schools all over Melbourne (and some country Victoria). Most drivers are pretty reasonable, but there is one type I find surprising and perplexing. It is drivers on freeways/tollways who drive significantly under the speed limit and the general flow of the traffic. It is neither safe nor sensible driving: indeed, it causes unnecessary eddies in the flow of traffic. Sometimes, it is actively dangerous: entering the Monash from the Toorak Rd city-bound on-ramp yesterday, I was stuck behind a car that slowed down as we approached the merge, quite unnecessarily, to the extent of increasing the chance of surprising drivers coming around the bend.
I am not sure what is "in the head" of such drivers. Are they just too anxious? Do they have no sense of traffic? Do they think speed is the trump-all safety issue? Whatever, they are not helpful.
Presumably traffic will increase to about the previous level of congestion (as a free bridge it rations by queue--time taken--rather than price). But, in the meantime, I have been appreciating the easier flow.
The other day, I was stuck in the second lane city-bound, which was moving much more slowly than the other four. It turned out to because an oil tanker-with-second-tank had run up the back of a van. The way some truck drivers get very close to cars in front, I am surprised that I do not see that sort of accident more frequently. A couple of days later (yesterday), going back to the office, I could see an accident on the other side where a rather back-smashed car was facing mostly the wrong way. A lane changing that went wrong, I am guessing. It had seriously stuffed the traffic all the way back to the Domain tunnel.
I do a lot of driving, to schools all over Melbourne (and some country Victoria). Most drivers are pretty reasonable, but there is one type I find surprising and perplexing. It is drivers on freeways/tollways who drive significantly under the speed limit and the general flow of the traffic. It is neither safe nor sensible driving: indeed, it causes unnecessary eddies in the flow of traffic. Sometimes, it is actively dangerous: entering the Monash from the Toorak Rd city-bound on-ramp yesterday, I was stuck behind a car that slowed down as we approached the merge, quite unnecessarily, to the extent of increasing the chance of surprising drivers coming around the bend.
I am not sure what is "in the head" of such drivers. Are they just too anxious? Do they have no sense of traffic? Do they think speed is the trump-all safety issue? Whatever, they are not helpful.