Opinion: Don't Be a Victim of Traffic.

Something occured to me the other day and that may or may not be obvious to everyone else: Each day's traffic is new.

Think about it. Traffic isn't something that just exists and we join and leave it each day. It actually stops existing every night, and then the next morning it begins fresh again. We create repetitive traffic with our routines and jobs, so it gives the illusion of a constant problem.

We choose every day to create traffic. It is a decision we make to get into our cars (usually alone) and search for a somewhat-less-congested route to work. We are actively contributing to traffic simply by being on the road. Even if you are riding the bus to work, you are still creating traffic, albeit less than if you were driving.

Now, don't get me wrong, I believe that commuting is a necessary part of our current economoy (until we develop the technology and ethic to do our work from remote locations). But I don't believe that traffic has to be as bad as it is, even with the current infrastructure.

You can choose to be victimized by what traffic appears to be; a necessary evil of the economy that can't be avoided which some research group is "thinking about" and some government agency is spending your money to "do something about it".


Or you can see it for what it is. Traffic is the result of collective decisions people make to drive at similar times to get to places they want to go, and they try to get there as fast as possible.

Does this realization change the decisions you're going to make about how you commute?

Changing the traffic system takes time and money, and there are things you can do today to change your commute. Whether you decide to take transit, start a carpool, drive at different hours, telecommute, motorcycle, bike, walk, move closer to work, or just drive better alone doesn't matter to us. What does matter is that you think about these choices and make the most of what we've got today.

Because ultimately, it is you that decides to get up in the morning and drive to work and create traffic every day.

Don't Stop Moving

Yesterday afternoon, I had to get to Seattle from my job in Redmond. I had to be there at 4:30, so I left at about 3:30. I wasn't looking forward to the traffic, but I wanted to use it as an opportunity to use my zen skills.

I made an amazing accomplishment: I did not come to a full stop the entire time I was on SR-520!

The way that I accomplished this was by leaving a ton of room in from of me, and maintaining a constant (slow!) speed as much as possible. The car in front of me kept speeding up and jerking to a stop, over and over again. When they were stopped, I slowly crept toward them. When they started moving I let them pull away and kept creeping at the same speed or I accelerated a little.

The car behind me didn't have to stop either. And neither did the car behind her. When I got on the bridge, I could see pretty far back because it's straight, and I watched a whole line of cars (hundreds of them) that were all flowing together in one continuous motion.

The car directly behing me didn't leave me much room at first, but by the time we got to the bridge, she realized what was going on and started staying pretty far back from me. So cars behind her were getting a double buffer of fluid traffic.

I hear from people quite a bit "if you leave a lot of room, other cars will just fill it." The reality is that it doesn't happen as much as you'd think. A few cars will zoom in and get in front of you, but it really doesn't affect you when you're further back. And chances are they would have changed lanes at some point anyway, so this way at least they have the room they need and don't cause a backup while they change lanes.

Please start leaving room in front of your car when you're in congestion. Not only will your stress be reduced (it gives you a challenge too, which is fun) but the cars behind you will thank you too.

What are you doing about it?

We'd love to hear from you about steps you've taken to improve the commute one car at a time.

Any tips or tricks you can share? Any recent experiences with less than enlightened drivers?

Post a comment and let us know!

Practicing Traffic Zen

"Alright," you say to your Traffic Sensei, "I want to achieve Traffic Zen Enlightenment, or whatever you've been blabbing about." Your master is amused by your irreverence, and allows you to continue.

"But I just need to know what to do when I'm driving and everyone else is being an idiot!"
Your sensei reminds you that the other drivers are not idiots, but simply have not reached enlightenment. You were so ignorant once, not long ago.

There are practical steps you can follow. Meditate on these rules. Concentrate deeply on executing them to highest fulfillment, and you will find your commute will be faster and less stressful. If enough people become enlightened, traffic will no longer be a problem at all, and we would have more time for other pursuits (such as putting on makeup, reading, and eating sushi).

The Tenets of Traffic Zen

• Take Responsibility and Repeat the Mantra. Just because other drivers are setting a bad example does not mean you should follow. A true believer must stand out. You must drive by example. You should remind yourself that "I am Seattle Traffic". You should also display an attractive and informative bumper sticker.


• Find the True Speed Limit. Find the true speed at which traffic is moving as a whole. There will be different speeds for each lane, but you are going to switch lanes as little as possible. Find a speed that allows you to brake and accelerate gracefully. Find a speed that leaves as much distance as possible between you and the car in front of you. Concentrate hard on constantly rediscovering this speed.


• Switch lanes as little as possible. You will be tempted to switch to a lane that is moving faster now. But you should not punish your fellow travelers by causing a hold up while you take a chance on getting to your destination a microsecond earlier. We will all arrive earlier if we all change lanes less frequently in congestion. If you can change lanes graceully, with cause and conviction, do so.


• Leave as much room ahead of you as you can. You can never leave too much, because a car from another lane will occupy it if you do. Which means you will need to leave more space. You will be surprised by the comfort you receive from the space in front of you. You will feel like you are in control of the road. You will be able to stop more gracefully.


• Merge Gracefully. All vehicles involved in a merge are ideally traveling the same speed with enough gap to fit each other perfectly. Think of it as teeth in a zipper. If one of the teeth of a zipper stuck out and waited until a few other teeth on the side passed, it would not work. Likewise, you must not stop when merging (unless all others are stopped as well). You must let others in. They need but one car length, and you have plenty to spare. Allowing them in front of you will mean they will not have to be confronted by a less enlightened driver, which could cause you grief you have no control over. Even if the merge happens behind you, you are being selfish, and you would not wish the same upon yourself.


• Brake Gracefully. Anticipate the cars stopping before their brake lights come on. You must use your third eye to see the third brakelight. If you have not tuned your third eye, you may find that looking further ahead than the car directly in front of you will allow you to predict the future just as well. And because you left as much distance in front of you as possible, you will be able to see better and brake earlier and more slowly. Never brake more than you need to.


• Accelerate Gracefully. Commuting is not a race. Some treat it as such, but they ultimately are the losers. You must resist the urge to go faster than the True Speed Limit. You will find that you will not receive a paper ticket for this, but you will pay dearly with your time, which is much more valuable. Only ever accelerate to move your speed closer to the True Speed Limit.


• Reduce or eliminate distractions. See the Secondary Goals. Just like when you learned to drive, you must have no distractions to achieve Traffic Zen. You may add them later as you become enlightened and understand the implications. You do not understand the implications yet.


• Know your directions. If you don't know where you are going, please study a map before you leave. Pull over if you need to look at it again. It requires discipline, but you must. You do not belong on the road if you do not know where you are going. You are not driving during rush hour without a purpose, are you?


• Be awake, alert, and aware. Get plenty of sleep before you go to work. Wake up early enough to not have to rush to the car. Pay attention to the road and be ready to respond to the ebb and flow of traffic. Know where your fellow commuters are positioned around you. Anticipate their need to enter, exit, merge, accelerate, and stop. Be thankful if they have the courtesy to signal. Be even more thankful if they do not flip you off.


• Be Patient. You will encounter many other pilgrims that lack enlightenment. You should feel sorrow for them, but not anger. When you begin to feel anger, remind yourself to teach someone about Traffic Zen today. And then actually do it. We are all in this together.