CONTACTTRAFFICABOUT TOM VANDERBILTOTHER WRITING CONTACT ABOUT THE BOOK

Archive for July 9th, 2008

Is the ‘Michigan Left’ Right for America?

Photo by MotherMe/Flickr

Left turns at intersections are the bane of traffic. They impede traffic flow (a “protected” green arrow holds up the majority of the intersection for a minority of drivers), UPS drivers’ routes are programmed to avoid them, and they’re dangerous for drivers (who often have trouble judging the speed of oncoming drivers, or have their view obstructed in determining whether it’s safe to cross) — not to mention pedestrians, who typically have the “Walk” signal when cars have a left-turn signal (and, because of the aforementioned problems, cars may only be paying attention to pedestrians at the very last moment).

Yesterday, John J. Miller asked me about a regional specialty in the world of traffic, the so-called “Michigan left.” Having spent some time in the environs of the Motor City, I had a passing familiarity with the system, but had sort of filed it away in my brain — and didn’t bring it up in the book. But he raised a very good point: Why isn’t it used elsewhere?

(more…)

[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Google] [MySpace] [Slashdot] [StumbleUpon] [Yahoo!]
Posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 2:20 pm by: Tom Vanderbilt
8 Comments. Click here to leave a comment.

The Traffic Guru

That’s the title of an essay I’ve written, reflecting on the ideas and legacy of Hans Monderman, the famous Dutch traffic engineer (now there’s an unlikely phrase) who died earlier this year. The piece, which builds upon some material in the book, is just out in the new Wilson Quarterly.

[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Google] [MySpace] [Slashdot] [StumbleUpon] [Yahoo!]
Posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 11:53 am by: Tom Vanderbilt
1 Comment. Click here to leave a comment.
Traffic Tom Vanderbilt

How We Drive is the companion blog to Tom Vanderbilt’s New York Times bestselling book, Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us), published by Alfred A. Knopf in the U.S. and Canada, Penguin in the U.K, and in languages other than English by a number of other fine publishers worldwide.

Please send tips, news, research papers, links, photos (bad road signs, outrageous bumper stickers, spectacularly awful acts of driving or parking or anything traffic-related), or ideas for my Slate.com Transport column to me at: info@howwedrive.com.

For publicity inquiries, please contact Kate Runde at Vintage: krunde@randomhouse.com.

For editorial inquiries, please contact Zoe Pagnamenta at The Zoe Pagnamenta Agency: zoe@zpagency.com.

For speaking engagement inquiries, please contact
Jenna Meulemans at the Knopf Speaker Bureau.

Order Traffic from:

Amazon | B&N | Borders
Random House | Powell’s

[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Google] [MySpace] [Slashdot] [StumbleUpon] [Yahoo!]
U.S. Paperback UK Paperback
Traffic UK
Drive-on-the-left types can order the book from Amazon.co.uk.

For UK publicity enquiries please contact Rosie Glaisher at Penguin.

Upcoming Talks

[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Google] [MySpace] [Slashdot] [StumbleUpon] [Yahoo!]
Twitter
July 2008
M T W T F S S
« Jun   Aug »
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031