Which is the fastest lane in traffic

[TStoneMBD]

You're stuck in traffic on a 55mph 3 lane highway. All exits and merges are on the right side. Which side is the best?

[whiskeytown]

Minneapolis has shitty traffic - and there's one lesson I've learned

When you're in a spot where two lanes merge into one, stay in the lane that's going away for as long as possible til it merges - if you're in the one that doesn't merge away, you're in slowsville - RB

[SackUp]

there are not many 3 lane freeways in CA, but for 4 lane freeways it is statistically shown that the 2nd lane from the right is the fastest (next to the slow lane).

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
Minneapolis has shitty traffic - and there's one lesson I've learned


[/ QUOTE ]

You must not get out to SoCal much, /images/graemlins/crazy.gif.

Since I moved here from my brief stint in MN I've been involved in several traffic fiascos that dwarfed anything I experienced in MN...and I don't even live in a very trafficky part of SoCal /images/graemlins/frown.gif.

Yugoslav

[TStoneMBD]

everyone here seems to think that the left is the fastest, but in truth i think the middle is. i think alot of people pull into the left lane from the middle lane thinking its the fastest causing more congestion in the left and less in the middle.

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

Is this during traffic or during normal 55-75 mph driving conditions. In traffic I don't think it matters what lane you're in as long as it's not the right one. In normal driving conditions, I don't see how you can claim the middle lane is the fastest (last I remember you live in CT [weren't you supposed to come party with us or something?] and I drive around NY, through CT, and to MA a lot). Whatever, it just always feels like I'm passing people in the middle on the left and I don't really drive more than 10 over the speed limit unless I can do it in the middle lane (I got pulled over for 90 in a 55 when I had had my license for less than 6 months, so I got used to not pushing it because any violation after that meant license suspension).

[TStoneMBD]

when i said traffic i meant like 10-15mph. i should have been more specific. and yah smileyeh invited me to a party but i was busy that weekend unfortunately.

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

[ QUOTE ]
when i said traffic i meant like 10-15mph. i should have been more specific. and yah smileyeh invited me to a party but i was busy that weekend unfortunately.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, in that case, I can see what you're saying about the middle lane, yeah. I usually end up in the left lane anyway, but then the middle lane pulls an Office Space on me. Smiley explained the whole thing to me as a Nash equilibrium/game theory matter and that you should pick a lane and stick with it, because if everybody's doing it, nobody's getting ahead or something. I dunno...

[Stellastarr]

The best lane is the fastest lane. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

Its always the far left in Atlanta, minus the HOV lane which is always the fastest.

[FourKing Hell]

Heh.. come to Europe. You'll always know for sure which lane is fastest, because it's illegal to pass someone on the right side here

[durron597]

[ QUOTE ]
Smiley explained the whole thing to me as a Nash equilibrium/game theory matter and that you should pick a lane and stick with it, because if everybody's doing it, nobody's getting ahead or something. I dunno...

[/ QUOTE ]

This is wrong, because the results of each repetition of the game are not independant (people decide whether to switch lanes again based on what's happening in their lane which is caused by other people's games etc. etc.)

[dtbog]

[ QUOTE ]
When you're in a spot where two lanes merge into one, stay in the lane that's going away for as long as possible til it merges - if you're in the one that doesn't merge away, you're in slowsville - RB

[/ QUOTE ]

This is true -- but ironically, the cause of the "slowsville" problem is because people like you don't change lanes when they see a sign for a lane merge.

If everyone did that, then there wouldn't be a bottleneck at the exact point where the left lane is closed... instead, people would have gradually merged into the middle lane already, and traffic would move much faster.

*sigh*

I'm a pretty aggressive/[censored] driver in general, but I try not to do things that slow down traffic. This is one of those things.

[Your Mom]

In Omaha, on I-80, the left lane is the fastest and it isn't even close.

[MoreWineII]

Here in pwntown, we have the ever-awesome carpool lane on I-5 north between 3-6 PM. I'd say an average of two people use it per day. One of them is me, by myself in my car. Because frankly I'm [censored] tired of traffic and if I have to pay a ticket once or twice per year, so be it. But I never will because it's only monitored like once per month and the cops sit in the exact same spot every single time - right at the end when the lane goes back to normal.

I've been doing this for about five months now with not even a close call. [censored] 'em.

[slamdunkpro]

The one you're not in /images/graemlins/tongue.gif