Talk:Rat running

Why is this even a thing? It seems as if people are saying that knowing more than one way to get to somewhere is a bad thing. What is wrong with using a side road if one still follows the traffic laws (speed limits, etc) applicable to that road? --Khajidha (talk) 20:45, 28 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Because, a shortcut road typically has less traffic capacity than an arteria road.155.223.24.152 (talk) 08:54, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
 * I'm not seeing how that is relevant. Shortcuts are used because the main arteries are too full. --Khajidha (talk) 23:56, 27 November 2015 (UTC)
 * Drivers can avoid a line of cars waiting at a red light by rat running through side streets to "cut the corner". One problem occurs when they rejoin the flow of traffic when coming out of the side street, and their efforts to merge into that heavy traffic can disrupt it and cause a jam. So in effect, they selfishly gain an advantage while disadvantaging others. Another problem is that traffic engineers may not have the resources, or may not be willing to budget resources, to measure traffic flows of rat runners in side streets. They prefer to measure traffic flows on the main roads where they intend peak hour traffic to flow. So, because rat runners aren't metered and don't appear in statistics, the setting of traffic light phase times at peak periods becomes more complicated. Akld guy (talk) 20:58, 28 November 2015 (UTC)
 * And how is that any different from anyone else on that road having problems getting into the higher flow street? Also, as the entire point of taking a side street is to avoid that higher flow, why would you be going back into it? I'm just not seeing how "rat-running" is any different from just generally knowing the roads in the area and being able to find alternative ways of getting from A to B. --Khajidha (talk) 23:08, 28 November 2015 (UTC)


 * How is that any different from anyone else on that road having problems getting into the higher flow street? Answer: the rat runners add to the problem and make the disruption worse. Your second question, ...why would you be going back into it? indicates that you don't understand what rat running is. The taking of a side street is not usually to avoid higher flow, it's to avoid a line of cars waiting at traffic lights or at a roundabout. The rat runner seeks to circumvent a delay, not simply heavy traffic, which can't usually be avoided at peak times anyway. So he takes side streets to avoid a red light but disrupts traffic when exiting out of a side street onto a main thoroughfare again. Akld guy (talk) 23:42, 28 November 2015 (UTC)
 * That's just dumb driving. --Khajidha (talk) 00:13, 29 November 2015 (UTC)
 * indicates that you don't understand what rat running is - if someone reads this article and doesn't fully understand what its concept means, then the article needs improving. I was also interpreting this as finding alternative routes to avoid a delay, instead of simply avoiding a temporary delay but remaining in the congested route otherwise. And taking an alternative route is actually good, since it alleviates traffic from the main road that is congested. The less cars there, the better. Unless they merge back into the mess, in which case indeed it doesn't help anything, and even the advantage that that person gets is more an apparent advantage than a real one. Anyway, my point is, this article needs more information/details to explain it better. 66.183.83.55 (talk) 20:27, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

St. Louis
It's also known that the barricades in St. Louis were originally erected to enforce racial segregation, not calm traffic. But that doesn't seem relevant to this article. Jaysbro (talk) 03:04, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

Waze and other services
Currently this isn’t mentioned. I’m sure there are plenty of sources out there on the effects of map apps but I’m about to hit the sack. RadioactiveBoulevardier (talk) 11:48, 10 April 2024 (UTC)