Traffic congestion at AYE T.Blangah exit from City

[Bluepica]

Usually I use this road on Friday evening to get to VVC. The congestion usually start before the exit. The main reason I see is, criss-crossing of traffic right after the exit. Traffic from Keppel road trying to negotiate to enter the viaduct to West Coast Highway (usually big-mama (trucks and trailers)) and traffic from AYE trying to negotiate to Telok Blangah road.

[Leepee]

Last time most lorries and vans keep to the left most lane. (assume 3 lanes. Lane1=fast overtaking lane. Lane3=left most lane)

So its easier for the other vehicles to speed up and join lane 1 or right lanes.

But after the stupid 50km/hr, 60km/hr & 70km/hr differential speed limit for heavy vehicle. Those with 70km/hr start to get impatient with those 60km/hr vehicles.

So they justify to overtake using the midle lanes. Since left lane is now cloged up by 60km/hr vehicles, there is really no way for those 70km/hr vehicles to keep back to left most lanes. If the 70km/hr lorries/van were to keep to left lane after overtaking, they will meet up with another 60km/hr lorry/van almost immediately. The impatience and waste of time to cut back to left lane is no productive. So they continue in their middle lane blocking all the cars and motorcycles. BUT they are not wrong, as they are overtaking and keeping to their speed limit!

 

Those cars stucky behind slow lorries/van in lane2 will want to overtake in lane1. Usually many drivers will be happy to keep to the middle lane and cruise at 90km/hr. But now they are forced to overtake in lane1, because getting stuck behind a 80km/hr speeding lorry is no fun at all! These drivers usually are safe drivers and do not drive above the speed limit. So when they are forced to overtaking, they do it within their safe speed of 90km/hr in the lane1.

 

And that slows down the entire lane1 as well, because when a 90km/hr car cuts into lane1, the immediate car behind will theoretically have to be safe and travel at 89km/hr at that instance. The cascading effect will ripple down the line untill maybe 70km/hr.

 

Now Now.......since lane1 cars are travelling at 70km/hr, those time tight delivery trucks will justify that as the entire expressway is withint the 70km/hr speed, so they are not wrong to travel in lane1. The most they go back to lane2 when the traffic clears further down the road.

 

The vicious circle goes on and on......till the expressway gets into a pseudo stop-go traffic jam kind of seneriao,

 

 

If the TP can deploy all their subarus on the expresway and start to summon the slow hoggers, I guarantee the traffic jam will disappear after just one week!

Edited April 13, 2010 by Leepee