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How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

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Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#41

Post by deelowe »

d--b wrote: post #40

> In 2005, a year after it announced that it will minimise left turns, the company said that the total distance covered by its 96,000 trucks was reduced by 747,000km, and 190,000 litres of fuel had been saved. Er... I understand that you may reduce your fuel consumption by not waiting at red lights, but that the total distance driven has been reduced is clearly wrong! Guys, you have a bug in your spreadsheet!

Maybe they also implemented a better navigation algorithm as part of this? The media likes to reduce everything down to soundbites, but IIRC, this is a rather large effort within UPS to improve routes in general. The left hand turn optimization was just one of the outcomes of this.

Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#42

Post by lorenzhs »

jventura wrote: post #32
dorfsmay wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... A similar idea is the train system in Munich where they built their platforms such that they can open doors on both sides, making one side of the train the exit, and the other side the entrance. Ever since I saw that, every single time I wait for people getting off a crowded train, I wonder "Why…

> Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... Because someone who comes from your left may go forward, or someone who comes from your front mau turn left? Where I live, we do not assume that we can turn right on red lights. Where and when that's possible, we have a blinking yellow light (basically meaning proceed with caution)..

Turning right on a red light is only permitted after establishing that it is safe to do so. Obviously you can't just assume that it'll be fine to go. The difference between your country and the US is the default value: do you have a blinking light permitting it in some places, or a sign prohibiting it where it would be unsafe?

Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#43

Post by JakeTheAndroid »

pc86 wrote: post #9
mstade wrote: post #8

> In the US, and other countries where you drive on the right side of the road, right turns are free, but for a left turn you need to wait for a green light. I don't know of any other country than the US where turning right on red is allowed, unless there's specific signage or additional traffic lights to allow it. Indeed, the turn-on-red rule in the US seems to work inverse to how I've seen it elsewhere – i.e. it's…

> Indeed, the turn-on-red rule in the US seems to work inverse to how I've seen it elsewhere – i.e. it's always allowed unless there's specific signage saying it isn't. Driving laws vary widely by state. You cannot say "$x is [il]legal in the US" because it's likely there's at least one state where the inverse is true. That being said, my state does allow turning on red unless it's explicitly prohibited, including le…

Having been across the US, I would say that the right-on-red rule is so consistent that you can say it's legal in the US. It's just a rule with an exception.

Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#44

Post by jweir »

dorfsmay wrote: post #21
mstade wrote: post #8

> In the US, and other countries where you drive on the right side of the road, right turns are free, but for a left turn you need to wait for a green light. I don't know of any other country than the US where turning right on red is allowed, unless there's specific signage or additional traffic lights to allow it. Indeed, the turn-on-red rule in the US seems to work inverse to how I've seen it elsewhere – i.e. it's…

Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... A similar idea is the train system in Munich where they built their platforms such that they can open doors on both sides, making one side of the train the exit, and the other side the entrance. Ever since I saw that, every single time I wait for people getting off a crowded train, I wonder "Why…

NYC has no right on red. After getting used to I loved it. Now I live in another city with right on red and a fair amount of bike and pedestrian traffic.

Turning right on red means looking out for cars, people, bikes and having the pressure of a car behind you - perhaps honking because it wants you to go.

Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#45

Post by jweir »

dorfsmay wrote: post #21
mstade wrote: post #8

> In the US, and other countries where you drive on the right side of the road, right turns are free, but for a left turn you need to wait for a green light. I don't know of any other country than the US where turning right on red is allowed, unless there's specific signage or additional traffic lights to allow it. Indeed, the turn-on-red rule in the US seems to work inverse to how I've seen it elsewhere – i.e. it's…

Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... A similar idea is the train system in Munich where they built their platforms such that they can open doors on both sides, making one side of the train the exit, and the other side the entrance. Ever since I saw that, every single time I wait for people getting off a crowded train, I wonder "Why…

NYC has no right on red. After getting used to I loved it. Now I live in another city with right on red and a fair amount of bike and pedestrian traffic.

Turning right on red means looking out for cars, people, bikes and having the pressure of a car behind you - perhaps honking because it wants you to go.

Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#46

Post by [deleted] »

jventura wrote: post #32
dorfsmay wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... A similar idea is the train system in Munich where they built their platforms such that they can open doors on both sides, making one side of the train the exit, and the other side the entrance. Ever since I saw that, every single time I wait for people getting off a crowded train, I wonder "Why…

> Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... Because someone who comes from your left may go forward, or someone who comes from your front mau turn left? Where I live, we do not assume that we can turn right on red lights. Where and when that's possible, we have a blinking yellow light (basically meaning proceed with caution)..

[deleted]

Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#48

Post by frandroid »

snrplfth wrote: post #28
dorfsmay wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... A similar idea is the train system in Munich where they built their platforms such that they can open doors on both sides, making one side of the train the exit, and the other side the entrance. Ever since I saw that, every single time I wait for people getting off a crowded train, I wonder "Why…

It's not as commonly done because it's considerably more expensive to build triple platforms, and the bends required to make it work slow the train down and cause wear. It's good for high-capacity stations though.

What bends?

Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#49

Post by Analemma_ »

dorfsmay wrote: post #21
mstade wrote: post #8

> In the US, and other countries where you drive on the right side of the road, right turns are free, but for a left turn you need to wait for a green light. I don't know of any other country than the US where turning right on red is allowed, unless there's specific signage or additional traffic lights to allow it. Indeed, the turn-on-red rule in the US seems to work inverse to how I've seen it elsewhere – i.e. it's…

Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... A similar idea is the train system in Munich where they built their platforms such that they can open doors on both sides, making one side of the train the exit, and the other side the entrance. Ever since I saw that, every single time I wait for people getting off a crowded train, I wonder "Why…

> Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it...

I believe Jeremy Clarkson once called it, "America's only useful contribution to Western civilization" :)

Re: How UPS trucks saved millions of dollars by eliminating left turns

#50

Post by dec0dedab0de »

zebrafish wrote: post #37
jventura wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Turning right on red is one of those idea that once you've been exposed to it you wonder why isn't everybody adopting it... Because someone who comes from your left may go forward, or someone who comes from your front mau turn left? Where I live, we do not assume that we can turn right on red lights. Where and when that's possible, we have a blinking yellow light (basically meaning proceed with caution)..

when the idea is baked into how your whole traffic system operates, you don't have these issues. People turning right have the same right-of-way as people going straight through an intersection. People turning left must wait for all traffic to clear from the opposing lane before turning. As for someone to your left going straight thru the intersection... you, turning right, must yield to those going straight. However…

People turning right have the same right-of-way as people going straight through an intersection.

No they don't, They must come to a complete stop and yield to all traffic, including people turning left. At least in NJ, I don't know about other states.

http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/pdf/Manuals/drivermanual.pdf

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