Why do you Bump into a String of Red Lights after the First?
Don’t you just hate it when you’re rushing for an appointment, but the traffic seems to be against you?
It starts off with you hurriedly jumping into your car and driving at the fastest speed possible, yet ends in you getting stuck at every single traffic light possible and being late for that important meeting.
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And if you successfully cross the first green light, then congratulations — your journey is going to be smooth later on.
Some of us may think that this is all a coin toss — if you fall on the wrong side, Lady Luck just isn’t shining on you side that day. But the truth is- there is a factual explanation of such a phenomenon!
Intelligent Design
Instead of taking a bus, or a car, try using a motorbike instead. What you’ll find is that despite the motorcycle being much faster than a bus, it still gets stopped time and again after encountering the very first red light.
Theoretically, this wouldn’t have been possible by chance. Instead, it is the mathematical genius of planners behind the public transport system that halts you in your tracks.
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Yes, those planners are out to stop you.
But don’t get them wrong — this system is meant to regulate and improve traffic flow. As paradoxical as it may sound, this control system actually makes your journeys better. Maybe not yours specifically, but it is designed to maximise the efficiency of everyone’s journeys.
To achieve this, transport planners use precise calculations to control the time lag between red and green traffic lights.
This concept is termed “green wave band”. To ride onto this “green wave” you’ve got to travel at a specific speed. When you maintain this speed, you’re most likely to catch the wave.
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How does the green wave work?
The green wave improves traffic flow because cars travel in organised batches, making space for smoother journeys.
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Having too many cars travelling on the same road slows down your travelling speed, and leads to bottlenecks at converging junctions. This is not only frustrating for you, but also reduces fuel efficiency as incomplete combustion takes place when your car travels at a slower speed.
Thus, the green wave keeps car density low, allowing you to travel smoothly for longer stretches of road.
Riding the green wave
That depends on the recommended speed in your city.
Generally, this means travelling 5 to 10kph slower than the recommended speed limit. However, if you aren’t able to adjust your speed in time to match the frequency of the green wave, you may find yourself caught in the red wave. As “luck” would have it, you’re going to find yourself halted at each traffic light time and again.
Sometimes, however, it’s not up to you to decide whether you can catch the red or green wave. If an unexpected traffic condition occurs, such as a serious traffic jam 5km in front of you, traffic sensors detecting the slow speed will trigger the red wave. Subsequent traffic lights will thus slow you down, in order for the traffic jam to be resolved.
This means that in reality, most cities will use a combination of the green wave and red wave depending on the road conditions.
Hence, to put it simply, it’s not your luck that determines if you’re blessed with the reds or greens .
Yo! I’m Miao. Can’t believe you scrolled all the way down here… bet you could’ve done a Math question with that time 😎 How about this — want to do Math together? I’m right here!
