Traffic

    Is traffic an unavoidable consequence of our transportation infrastructure? Couldn't there be a more efficient way to get cars from here to there? I certainly don't know the answer to this question, but often let it distract my mind while I'm in some bumper to bumper congestion. The other day after getting my skates sharpened I was led on a detour goose chase on my way back to the highway. The pack of cars I was stuck with followed the signs as we made over 10 turns, even though we only hundreds of feet away.

        I tried to think of an algorithm that would get us going in the right direction faster. Maybe some sort of large scale linear program, in the style of game theory. Each car would choose his best possible route based on the most likely decision of the other cars in the area. It doesn't seem like that scenario is too futuristic, as cars doubling as WiFi hotspots are becoming mainstream. Soon cars will be able to talk to each other and will operate on a virtual grid. Once we have autonomous cars optimization becomes a real possibility. Google's self driving car has been on the road for over a year now. Of course, the security concerns with allowing our vehicles to have their own internet and be autonomous are serious. Hopefully by that time encryption outruns clever hackers.