Unexpected Elements Traffic science
Aug 1, 2025
Robert Rock, a landscape architect, leads the innovative Wallace Annenberg Wildlife Crossing project in California. He shares insights on urban traffic dynamics and humorous anecdotes about congestion's puzzling causes. The conversation intriguingly compares human traffic to ant behavior and touches on eco-friendly travel initiatives. They also discuss weather-related traffic jams and even the science behind tangled cables, merging psychology and physics in a lighthearted way that draws parallels between everyday frustrations and complex environmental systems.
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Sheep Caused Nairobi Jam
- In Nairobi, a traffic jam was caused by three sheep sitting at an intersection blocking traffic.
- This unexpected obstruction showed how minor obstacles can create significant traffic jams.
Phantom Traffic Jams Explained
- Phantom traffic jams start when braking spreads backward like a wave through traffic.
- This self-sustaining wave slows or stops traffic despite no obvious cause.
Drive With More Space
- To lessen phantom traffic jams, keep more space ahead and behind while driving.
- Acting like bird flocks or fish schools by spacing prevents collisions and traffic waves.
