Awesome Traffic

So you’re cruising down the highway, when all of a sudden you’re in a traffic jam. But there are no accidents, construction, or other emergency activity, so why does this happen? TED-Ed explores the phenomenon known as a “phantom traffic jam,” what makes them happen, and how we might minimize their occurence.

Experimental filmmaker and motion graphic artist Dirk Koy provides a unique perspective of a traffic circle. By rotating top-down, time-lapse footage of vehicles as they pass in and out of the lanes, it almost looks like they’re being magnetically pulled towards the center of the circle, then released back into the world.

Ever wondered what sort of intersection offers the smoothest traffic flow? Check out this oddly satisfying compilation of 4-way junctions, simulated with the Cities: Skylines mod Traffic Manager: President Edition. Too bad there’s not room for stack interchanges everywhere.

Half as Interesting explains the world’s worst traffic jam, which happened on China’s G110 highway in 2010 and lasted an incredible 12 days. Trucks carrying coal clogged up the road, then inexplicably, 5 days into the epic jam, planned maintenance work began on the road.

A while back, we watched a guy with perfect timing hit 55 green lights in a row in NYC. Now, driver Noah Forman has smashed that feat, driving through an insane 240 intersections with traffic lights without a single stop. Somebody needs to turn this into a video game.

Traffic circles (aka “roundabouts”) aren’t nearly as popular here in the U.S. as they are in the UK and other European cities. WIRED takes a look at the seemingly insane 7-circle Swindon roundabout, and how it manages to keep traffic flowing smoothly.

The always compelling CGP Grey looks at the behaviors underlying traffic patterns, such as city gridlock and highway traffic jams. He provides some simple things we can do to reduce the problem, but his ultimate fix would require a far more dramatic change.

Dutch city ‘s-Hertogenbosch aka Den Bosch employs traffic lights with contextual timing. Using sensors embedded in roads as well as data about public transportation, the lights can adjust to the current amount of automotive and bicycle traffic on the fly.

If you live in any major U.S. city, traffic is an everyday part of life. But any time you feel the road rage boiling over, just think about this video of a major traffic jam in Beijing, and you might feel just a little better about the slowdowns you encounter on a daily basis.

Ron Gabriel’s 3-Way Street thesis project tracks a camera at the Manhattan intersection of 28th and Park Avenue, where a plethora of hair-raising street traffic drama unfolds. (Thanks Mat!)

Designed by Thanva Tivawong, the Sand Glass concept for traffic lights imitates an hourglass, providing an intuitive and less ambiguous way of indicating when the lights will change.

Researchers at Japan’s Nagoya University had 22 cars drive in a perfect circle to see if they could recreate those phantom traffic jams that come out of nowhere. They did. We still don’t understand it.

LA is infamous for its crazy-bad traffic, so Superclogger decided to keep drivers entertained with these 4 to 7 minute vignettes in the back of a moving Mazda. Tailgate at your own risk.

We have no idea where these clowns on this Dubai highway learned how to drive, but if we ever visit the U.A.E., we’ll be sticking to our air-conditioned learjets and yachts.