Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with traffic

Pseudo-geeks, Google Maps, bus routes and the quest for happiness.

eytanb — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:56:24 -0800

How complicated is it to create a bus map on the Google Maps API? So I saw this Google Maps mashup with NYC subways and I was wondering how hard it would be for a someone with decent geek-fu to figure out how to do it. I know that any self-respecting geek would just tuck down and tinker but I am a little stressed for time.

I am a little familiar with Javascript, PHP and MySql (more in terms of adapting then writing) and am willing to learn. I just need to know that this is not going to be a time sink. I can spend my commute throwing the actual bus routes into a KML map (is that what it is called? My knowledge in this field is limited at best.)

So what I ask of you, oh Giant Seething Meta-Brain, is what are the main steps I need to take for this? What will this require of me? How long would this take someone who is relatively proficient? What about someone with the coding skills of a drunk duck?

Oregon legal definition of good cause

herda05 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:08:42 -0800

I received a parking ticket, ended up paying late, and now I am looking to file an affidavit for relief. What qualifies as "good cause" in Oregon? I received a parking ticket and sent out my payment electronically through my bank's bill pay. Either due to a browser session problem, the switch over from WAMU to Chase, or simply stupid user error, the payment never got issued to the County. I received a second notice and an increased fine, which I paid promptly after explaining what happened. The traffic person on the phone kindly informed me I could file an affidavit with the court asking for relief and they could refund the money. She sent the affidavit and I'm filling it out now. The affidavit says that relief will be granted for "good cause". My question is, what qualifies as "good cause"? How do I explain browser sessions, dropped packets, bank mergers, and/or stupid user error as "good cause" so I can get my $90 back?

What do you do when the court has no record of your "crime"?

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:12:00 -0800

I received a traffic ticket for driving without headlights on in Los Angeles, but now the court has no record of my citation. What do I do now? I was cited during the evening of October 4th for "Driving without Lights on During Darkness." I had only been driving for a few blocks when I was pulled over and hadn't noticed my lights weren't on. For what it's worth, it was a fairly busy street that was well-lit at the time.

Anyway, the ticket says that I must appear at the courthouse by November 18 but I haven't received a courtesy notice in the mail yet. Assuming that the notice must've been lost in the mail, I checked the court's website and they have no record of a citation. I've searched the database with both my driver's license and citation number, but nothing comes up, even though it's past the "21 days" it sometimes takes for the citation to appear in the system.

I've called the court and navigated the automated phone system, but they have no record of it either. I tried to speak to an operator but the system was "too busy" so an automated message said to try the call at a later time.

Is it possible that the police officer, after the fact, realized how brightly lit the street was and decided to discard the ticket or not process it? Incidentally, I later learned that there was a full moon that evening, which could be counted as an extenuating circumstance, something which the officer might have realized himself. I don't know how likely that is or if it's even possible (or just wishful thinking on my part).

Does anyone have any experience with this or advice about what I should do? At this point, I'm leaning towards just going to the courthouse, which is a hassle, but would presumably settle the matter once and for all. On the other hand, I would like to avoid bringing the ticket to the court's attention if it somehow fell through the cracks and there's otherwise no record of it. Please help me, hivemind!

If anyone has any follow-up questions or would like to reply anonymously, my email is wheresmytrafficticket@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Get me outta here!

The Straightener — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:16:40 -0800

Escape from New York! (By car during the New York Marathon.) What time of day would be optimal to leave Williamsburg, Brooklyn by car tomorrow to get to the Jersey Turnpike without committing suicide after hours stranded in gridlocked traffic?

Busted by the pen nazi

hollyanderbody — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:42:00 -0800

I got a traffic citation last night, and I think the cop was a dick. I want to report him, but I want to do it the right way. What do you think? I was driving home from work last night in my husband's work truck, and he pulled me over because one of the tail light covers was broken, making the tail light white. Also the license plate was not illuminated, and partially obscured by the trailer hitch ball thing. Yes, I know, but my driving was scrupulously correct, and people were passing me left and right. I admit, I wasn't cheerful. I was anoyed. I had to call my husband asking where the registration and insurance was, and the heater is broken so I was freezing. The cop comes back and explains that he is giving me a warning, and hands me the clip-board to sign. I had my pen ready and began to sign my name, and he pushes his (cheap) ball point pen at me and says, kinda beauracratically, (I don't recall the exact verbage of any of the exchange, so I'm paraphrasing) "Use this one". So I said "Why" and he said "just use this one" and I said "why? this is a regular ball point pen" (it was a Zebra F-301 ball point. It wasn't a purple glitter gel pen with a fuzzy cap and a bell). He says, pulling away the clip board, "You want me to go back and make this a citation?" I was incredulous. I asked again "what is wrong with me using this pen" He said again "You want this to be a citation? Is that what you want?" So I took his pen and went to take back the clip board, and as I did so I said " I'm going to report you." and he grabbed back the pen and clip board and said " ok you just got yourself a citation".

He goes back to his car, and later returns with the citation, handing it to me, along with his stupid pen. I took the clip board, and began to sign it with my pen; Whats he gonna do about it at this point? He actually hadn't figured that bit out yet because he again asked me to use his pen! I said "What are you gonna do if I don't, arrest me?" He nodded in concession, I signed my citation, and he stalked away without another word.

OK so I know my getting to use my pen on what is now a $103 citation phyrric victory. My husband says I should have been cheerful and compliant, and just gone along with him so as to minimize the damage a person with power over me can inflict. I know that is the more practical approach, but WTF! Is it really ok to threaten me with a citation because I question his insistance that I use his goddam cheap ass pen?!

I don't want to argue this in court; not the right forum. I do wish to report him to his supervisors. I'm sure more level headed, and reasonable people in law enforcement would want to know that one of their officers is an immature jerk on a power trip. I think something like this should go in his file...

Hive mind, how best to report this? Thanks

Best way to plan a timely day trip from Rochester to Toronto?

agentmunroe — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:48:39 -0800

TorontoFilter: I have a ticket to go to this event on Friday, at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. I live in Rochester, NY. What are my options for getting there on time? My original thought was to just drive there and drive back same-day. I'd leave Rochester at about 5AM; Google Maps estimates a 2hr40m drive, and the past few times I've been through Canadian customs it was only a few minutes through. I'm a reasonably capable driver, I have a Garmin with Canadian maps and I enjoy road trips, so this is my natural inclination.

I'm wondering, however, if customs is going to be far worse at "commute-time" (since anyone trying to get to Toronto by 9am will be crossing around the same time), if the traffic is likely to be bad in Toronto (while I've been to Canada a few times recently I haven't been to Toronto in ages), and if my previous plan is a little fool-hardy. If the traffic is going to be gnarly and it's easy/on-time to use public transit or a train, I'd rather just do that then stress over traffic/lanes/turns/parking/etc. Looking at Google Maps, I'm noticing the theatre is only one or two blocks away from both a subway stop and Union station... so I'm wondering if one of these would be advantageous.

Normally I'd totally be up to spending the night in a hotel, but at the moment I'm in-between client checks, and a hotel close to the event is more then I'd like to swing right now - for that reason I'm really looking towards an in-and-out day trip. I suppose a hotel on the outskirts of Toronto or somewhere in-between Toronto and Niagra Falls would be an option too, but I'm not sure where a good place to check would be, so suggestions there would be good.

So, any thoughts? I notice there's a morning train that runs from Niagra Falls to Toronto, which seems reasonable if the train is actually on-time. I assume I could also park somewhere outside the city and take the subway, but I'm not sure how much time that would save. Or am I too worried about Toronto traffic and I'll be fine just driving in?

Why is there less road traffic on Fridays?

jeremias — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:54:14 -0800

Why is there less road traffic on Fridays? I commute to work at roughly the same each day and have noticed a significant and consistent drop in traffic on Fridays. If I were to guess I would say the roadways are 20-30 percent lighter in the mornings between 8 and 9. This is on a major thoroughfare in the Boston suburbs (Route 2 East) going into the city and is consistent enough to be predictable.

Is this a common phenomenon or just some local statistical blip?

First thoughts: Lots of people have 4 day work weeks? College students don't have classes on Friday? I really have no idea.

Mysterious sign, perhaps no longer in production?

RedReplicant — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:36:32 -0800

I can't for the life of me find a picture of a particular road sign, which I consistently misunderstood as a child. It's a traffic sign in North America that I saw many times as a kid but almost never any more. It was a yellow-orange sign with a "no" symbol and some random-looking detritus behind it, which I later understood to be a crumpled can. Probably a "no littering" sign, but a search on that or like terms seems to turn up nothing! A pretty silly question, I know! I ask partly because when I was a kid, I thought the item behind the "no" sign was a mouser from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

That "commercial vehicle" only section of Downtown San Francisco

sammich — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:41:41 -0800

San Francisco Filter: What's the deal with the 'commercial vehicle' only area in the financial district? No one seems to notice or care. Reading about tomorrow's six week passenger car shutdown of Market Street reminded me that they also restrict passenger vehicles in that two or three block square patch of the Financial District (roughly) between Montgomery and Battery St. There are all these no-left turn and do not enter signs bordering this area that say "Commercial Vehicles excepted" but I always see regular cars drive right in and cops are never around to enforce it. Has anyone heard of anyone getting busted in this area? If i were driving in this area would you advise obeying those signs? Does anyone care?

Driving in reverse

Neiltupper — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:21:42 -0800

Another video search. This one was about cars being driven in reverse in the opposite lane to avoid "tailbacks". It was captured by someone driving legally and was almost certainly in Russia or some neighbouring country. Anyone? Anyone?

How can I drive traffic to my new sports blog?

ORthey — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:23:05 -0800

Another questions about driving traffic to a new blog - but this one is specifically about a sports blog. I have gotten some very good ideas from previous threads, but I'm hoping I can elicit some suggestions that are specific to a sports blog. I have recently begun blogging about baseball, usually about the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants (site is linked to in my profile), and I'm wondering about ways to drive traffic.

I am a regular at a few related sites, like Athletics Nation, McCovey Chronicles, Fangraphs, and Joe Posnanski's Blog, and have begun to plug the blog in places like my signature and such (as well as re-posting an entry as a fanpost a time or two). I have made a few facebook announcements, and told friends who have interest in this sort of thing. But I'm at a loss as to other ways of getting the word out.

If it helps, the blog is general musings about the A's and Giants and baseball in general (and occasionally other sports), where I am informed by sabermetric/modern statistical thinking but don't go too deeply into analysis - rather, I try to made it funny and chatty and readable for those aren't as interested in that sort of thing but still appealing to those who do. It'll be most interesting to A's and Giants fans, methinks.

Thanks for any advice! And don't be afraid to be brutally honest... I have no expectations of success, only tempered hopes.

Waiting at blinking yellow lights for next set of lights to turn green: required?

Baethan — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:37:30 -0800

Traffic question: on the road in front of a fire station in CT USA, there are two traffic lights, one just before the station and one at the corner the station is on. When the first set of lights are blinking yellow and the second set is red, people tend to stop at the yellow lights. Is that required? This is on the side of the road closest to the fire station. I assume people stop at the yellow lights because they don't want to block the fire station driveway in case of an emergency, but I thought most stations had the ability to turn nearby traffic lights red (in other words, they could turn the blinking yellow lights red and anyone already at the second set of lights would just move out of the way). I don't think there's a sign at the yellow lights, but perhaps I didn't see it. I got beeped at once for not waiting at the yellow lights (my first time driving down that road) and it seems like practically everyone just knows to stop there. Is it a law or something?

Name that SF story -- traffic jam edition.

escabeche — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:44:00 -0800

Identify a science fiction story about a giant, unfixable traffic jam. (spoilers inside.) Here's what I remember: story set in the near future. There's a massive traffic jam, I'm pretty sure in Los Angeles. The story takes place over the course of days and weeks as the residents of the jam find ways to fend for themselves. At some point there's a gag that the whole jam was started by a "little old lady from Pasadena." The story ends with helicopters or planes flying over the traffic jam, dumping wet cement on cars and people alike in order to form a new highway over the old. I would have read this in the very late 1970s or early 1980s, probably in OMNI, but possibly in an anthology. Any ideas?

What Causes Traffic Noise?

rhcclark — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 08:25:49 -0800

Traffic noise. What percentage of it is caused by: 1) The internal combustion engine and associated systems (as opposed to an all electric vehicle) 2) Air turbulence of the vehicle moving through space, 3) Other mechanical issues.

A Strange and Mercurial Beast

Scattercat — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:58:30 -0800

I use Google Analytics to track traffic to my crappy little writing blog. On Wednesday, I had 20 visits from 13 visitors. On Thursday, I had 99 visits from 89 visitors, of whom 95% were "direct link" visitors. This is obviously nonsense. What on Earth happened? Likewise, GA insisted two weeks ago that I'd had upwards of forty unique hits from a particular site which, when investigated, proved to be a blog in Portuguese with only two entries, both dated 2007, in which the author appeared to be reviewing brands of laptop. There were no other posts and no other links visible. Was this related or a whole new brand of wacky problem?

Please bear in mind that my knowledge of computers is only marginally more advanced than, "Ug like magic box. Magic box make pretty talky-pictures and words."

How can I increase traffic to a porn site?

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:43:22 -0800

How does one go about promoting a porn site? I do freelance work, and recently received a proposal from a client who wants me to do promotions work for a porn site; my commission would be based on increased traffic. I have to admit total cluelessness in this arena, so I'm hoping Ask MeFi can help. For example, I know for a food site I'd submit pics and links to TasteSpotting, FoodGawker, etc. I'd use Twitter a little, and because food is an interest of mine I'm already a member of lots of communities where recipes are discussed. Porn? Not so much; I've never been into it. A friend already mentioned Fleshbot, so I'm trying to figure out how that works, but any and all other suggestions are welcome. The site, if it matters, has a BDSM leaning. This should all stay legal and above-board; any SEO will comply with search engine rules, I don't want to spam, stuff like that. Help a girl out? You can also email me at heyboyhowdy@gmail.com.

Will I get stuck in Chicago traffic if I drive from the Milwaukee airport to South Bend, Indiana, starting at 4 pm Friday?

ruff — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:28:09 -0800

Chicago-driving-filter. If I leave Milwaukee (airport) at about 4 pm on Friday, and drive to South Bend, Indiana, will I spend hours in Chicago rush hour traffic? Can I avoid that somehow? What if I could move my departure time a bit earlier? Is this the route to take? Random bonus question: anyone know a convenient Apple store along this route? Thanks!

P.S. I saw this semi-related question, but it's kind of a different route.

Montgomery's Tavern & beyond.

TheWhiteSkull — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:00:11 -0800

Torontocyclingfilter: I'm planning a 50 mile ride this weekend. Is Yonge St. a good call? So I'm looking at doing 50 miles on Saturday morning, and I was thinking about just heading straight up Yonge. Are there any areas I should look out for (particularly above Eglinton)? Is this even a good idea? Are there better routes out of the city?

Note: I am in good shape, and a regular cyclist in the city. I'm comfortable in traffic, but looking for ways to increase my distance.

Traffic driving from Western, MA to Newark, NJ next Sunday?

TurkishGolds — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:12:51 -0800

Should I expect traffic driving from Western, MA to Newark Liberty Airport next Sunday afternoon between Noon and 3 PM? Google is telling me to take this route. Basically, I-91S to I-95S.

I'm supposed to pick someone up at 3:00PM. If I leave at 11AM, I should have plenty of time, right? Google tells me 3 hours and 22 minutes. Does that sound about right? Is there any reason why these roads will be a disaster next Sunday afternoon? Are there alternate routes that I should consider?

I'll then turn around and drive back. Will that be a traffic nightmare?

Bonus question: What's the deal with short term parking at Newark Liberty?

Where can I find historical data of which were the most popular or most visited web sites around a particular time?

procrastination — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:52:43 -0800

Where can I find historical data of which were the most popular or most visited web sites around a particular time in the past? Looking specifically for April, 2007. I am working on a research project and am trying to find out what the top N most visited sites on the Internet were in April 2007. For example, there is current data from Alexa here, but I don't see any way to find older versions of the data. I checked the Internet Archive as well, to no avail. Apparently the free list of 1M sites is recent.

Any ideas on where to look?

How can I get from point A to point B while avoiding crowd C?

Deathalicious — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:21:29 -0800

Memorial Day Traffic Filter: Are there any resources out there (either online or widely available for purchase in stores) that provide tips on getting around by car while avoiding horrible traffic (particularly along the New York-Philadelphia-Baltimore-DC corridor)? Out of sheer necessity I will be driving relatively long distances (150 miles+) this Memorial Day weekend, probably either Friday afternoon just after 5 pm (yay rush hour) or early Saturday afternoon. I will also be driving on Memorial Day as well.

My particular voyage will be Philadelphia to DC on either Friday or Saturday, followed by a return trip to Philly from Columbia, MD on Monday.

The prospect of crawling to DC in rush hour, Friday afternoon, pre-Memorial Day is killing my dream of making it to DC on Friday for an earlier meet up with family. If there is any way that this traffic can be avoided, you have saved my weekend.

Personal tips also gladly welcomed.

Resource that archives motorcycle traffic incident reports for San Diego, CA?

toomanyplugs — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:04:47 -0800

Is there any resource that archives traffic incident reports for San Diego, CA? I'm thinking of SigAlert mostly, but their website doesn't seem to keep the info long after the alert is resolved. I would like to review "downed motorcyclist" incidents to try to learn from them, but most of the ones that make it to the news are the bad ones.

Almost every day, however, there seems to be an incident involving a motorcycle on the morning or afternoon commute, and I'd like to review the conditions, as well as how the motorcyclist fared, what they were wearing, etc. I can follow along with active sigalerts on this web site, but they go away after the alert is cleared.

Exit Plan Strategery for the Nissan Pavilion (VA/DC)

actionPetential — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:35:33 -0800

Help me if you know anything about Nissan Pavilion in Northern Va! Are the traffic problems still as bad as they used to be? If so, does anybody have any tips? Hey all, am going to see one of my favorite bands later this month and am terrifically excited! However, as the concert is on a weekday, and I haven't been to the Nissan Pavilion in years, it's hard to imagine being able to deal in stride if, after the concert, we're obliged to submit to one of the Pavilion's legendary three-hour parking lot 2 mph waits. So, I was wondering if anyone had been to a big show recently (say, in the past year) at Nissan Pavilion and could attest as to whether it was still as bad as it used to be. Have they built those new lanes on 66 yet? And - this might sound crazy - but would it be possible to park somewhere a mile or so away, and then bike to the venue? Any and all recent experiences would be helpful!

Can a cop retaliate to an objection to a fine he's issued by adding a more serious offence?

chmmr — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:26:18 -0800

I was recently issued a minor traffic infringement by a Melbourne police officer. I told him that I believed the charge was unfair and that I intended to contest it in court. He told me that if I did, he'd then present me with an additional, more serious charge. Was this just bluster to dissuade me from contesting the charge, or could he in fact do that? The charge at present is riding a (fixed wheel) bicycle without an effective brake. I know that the safety of this is debatable. However, less effective braking mechanisms are satisfactory as far as the law is concerned. The law is vague on what exactly constitutes an effective braking mechanism, so I at least have an argument to present.

If a magistrate were to reject my defense out of hand, fine, that's the final word on the interpretation of the law. What bugs me about this is that aside from the charge at hand, I did nothing wrong aside from making known my disagreement with the officer and my intention to contest the charge. I wasn't riding dangerously or breaking road rules. The bike even has a bell.

My concern is that he might fabricate something more serious but ambiguous, for instance that I "became verbally abusive" or some such. Even if I'm completely out of line as far as the brake issue is concerned, it's my right to contest the charge and I don't want to be bullied out of it.

Who creates traffic laws?

teg4rvn — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:18:34 -0800

Who creates traffic laws? The foundation of this question stems from a right-on-red ticket my wife received a couple of months ago. She admitted fault (there was a sign), but it was a new sign that had just been erected and, my wife, on auto-pilot, made a right-on-red where she had made a right-on-red for years. When she mentioned this to the cop, he responded with some variation of the, "Hey lady, I don't create the laws, I just enforce them." answer.

This got me thinking, though.

Who decides, as in this example, to make right-on-red prohibited after years of it not being so?

How often does this group/committee meet?

What data are used?

Who comprises this group and are any the members of the public?