[net.auto] insanity on the super slabs

cdash@druxv.UUCP (06/28/84)

[i found the bug just yesterday]

all the ranting and raving pro and con the left lane ha not yet touched on my
pet beeve about the super slabs (interstates or freeways) of the three lanes in
each direction. The ying yangs who cruise in the middle lane (typically well
below the speed limit) force extra traffic into the passing (leftmost) lane.

I guess they have never heard of the "keep right except to pass" maxims.
What you get is:
       |         | traffic |   an      |
       | con-    | pacing  | occasional|
       | gettion |  the    |   truck   |
       |         | trucks  |   or      |
       |         |         |   two     |
What is desirable is:
       | fastest | medium  |  slower   |
       | moving  | moving  |  moving   |
       | traffic | traffic |  traffic  |
The existant situation appears to be conducive to those who want to go faster
weaving back and forth through all three lanes to make time. The other day,
whiler out in the left lane following three slower cars (all WELL BELOW the 
limit and had nobody in front of it) I observed no less than 3 vehicles take 
the path shown below.
   ^
   |
    \
     \
      |  X
   X   \
        \
      X  |
        /
   X   /
      |  X
       \
   X    \
      X  |
        /
       /
   me |
     /
    /
   |
   ^
had the two in the middle lane been over in the right, those three cars could
have passed left instead of weaving. [i was not in a hurry because I was going
to work (note sarcasm in this remark)]

...!druxv!cdash {charlie shub AT&T-IS Denver (303) 538-3922}