[skiptamali]

"Scientists working at Germany’s ORINOKO project are making progress on solving commute woes. The ORINOKO (Operative Regional Integrated and Optimized Corridor Control) Project has received funding from Germany and BMW to investigate large-scale transportation modeling that can improve efficiency and reduce traffic."

Maybe we can improve air quality by decreasing engine idling during peak traffic hours. I share the desire to shorten people's commutes and reduce emissions. Sounds like a great idea while we're figuring out alternative fuel vehicles, better transport, better city planning, etc... but is it too expensive? How much should we invest in this, and geographically where? Would this take funding away from other green projects?

[kjmclark]

This kind of thing is in the category of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The proponents of ITS point out that by improving traffic flow, you can reduce emissions, improve mileage, and reduce travel times. They conveniently neglect to point out that they are simultaneously encouraging more motoring, making it more dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians, and encouraging longer commutes.

Frankly, the only ITS that makes any sense to me in peaking or post-peak and climate change aware world are changes that improve conditions for transit and non-motorized transportation. The only change I've heard of that does that are preemptive signaling for transit systems. All of the rest of it can be thought of as throwing away good money to increase roadway capacity.

[veliger]

The absolutely easiest fuel savings/carbon emission reduction is eliminating all toll booths/barriers. Making traffic stop or slow unnecessarily wastes huge amounts of fuel. Just add a penny or two to the fuel tax to make up for the lost toll revenue. In Lean Six Sigma this is known a ground fruit, even easier to get than low hanging fruit.

It's obvious the US and any other countries that still force traffic to slow down or stop at toll barriers are not even a little bit serious about reducing fuel consumption. They want to force us into cramped, little cars, but they won’t take the absolutely easiest, least painful fuel conservation step imaginable, eliminate all toll barriers!!!

[skiptamali]

Veliger,
I agree that it seems the US isn't serious, and I think toll booths aren't the least of it. All one has to do is think about where we allow corporations to take profit and run with it... ie subsidizing big oil companies that are already raking in record profit-?!

[aahala2]

The absolutely easiest fuel savings/carbon emission reduction is eliminating all toll booths/barriers. Making traffic stop or slow unnecessarily wastes huge amounts of fuel.

I agree with the second statement but not the first. If we're
serious about emissions, we should INCREASE the toll during
peak times and eliminate it during off hours.

New York City had a congestion tax idea all lined up and the
powers that be had agreed if the city did this and that, the
state would agree but after the city had done this and that,
the speaker of house I believe it was, without explanation,
reneged and would not allow a vote.

[skiptamali]

What would you think about increasing the toll, add more fastrak lanes aahala2?

[emersonbiggins]

They want to force us into cramped, little cars, but they won’t take the absolutely easiest, least painful fuel conservation step imaginable, eliminate all toll barriers!!!

The presence of toll roads has little to with traffic congestion, as [lightly-tolled] Texas has one of the highest rates of traffic congestion in the nation, sharing the perennial title with states like Georgia and California. With the latest RFID/electronic toll-tag systems, toll roads in Texas (and Oklahoma) allow drivers to pass through tollgates at speed, all but eliminating bottlenecks.

However, routing thru truck traffic around metropolitan areas would do more to eliminate congestion than perhaps any other single solution, including using the power of the state to condemn more frontage for adding lanes to the existing network.