Traffic Waves

Jennie and I had an interesting conversation... er... argument the other day about traffic patterns and something I was struggling desperately to communicate... until now. William Beaty is an Electrical Engineer and amateur "Traffic Engineer" who describes the "Traffic Wave" phenomenon.

This is something that has interested me for several years now. I've noticed time and time again that traffic has what I call "memory," meaning it can "remember" a traffic accident for a long while after the accident is cleared and gone. In rush hour, it can last for a looooong time. This is described best by William, so I'll leave it up to his paper to help you understand. Definitely a good read for anyone who has to drive at all in the city.