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Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

priceonomics.com

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Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#21

Post by relet »

kristiandupont wrote: post #12

In Denmark, the term højresvingsulykke (right turn accident) is common, meaning when a car, typically a truck, turns right and hits a bicycle. Lots of people are killed from this every year. One theory is that it is primarily foreign truck drivers who are not accustomed to the high number of cyclists in Copenhagen. When I initially saw the title, I was expecting it to be a mistake and actually say "Why UPS Trucks Don…

This is a type of accident that is particular to countries that have bicycle lanes. Cities like for example Berlin have closed a large number of cycle lanes (where they are routed to the right of regular traffic) because of that reason, and replaced them with shared lanes.

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#23

Post by michaelfeathers »

In the movie 'Cop Land' Ray Liotta's character (a cop) repeatedly uses the phrase "Don't fight, go right" to refer to a tactic fugitives use: avoiding left hand turns. Apparently, if you know that you can chase better.

I think it was meant as a double entendre too - referring to one's moral compass.

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#25

Post by Lewisham »

guelo wrote: post #24

It's interesting that UPS drivers have to solve the traveling salesman problem every morning with additional real-world constraints like this one.

The drivers have a navigation system that maps the direction for them. I knew a guy who worked on it and making sure it turned right a lot :)

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#26

Post by Avshalom »

protomyth wrote: post #14
aaronem wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, sure, when there's no traffic against which to have to turn, the cost of making a left is negligible -- especially in American residential neighborhoods, which are often laid out so as to prompt suspicion that they weren't intended to be navigable at all. (And this is not even entirely false! A city neighborhood with access from multiple traffic arteries, and with straight, minimal-distance routes between them,…

I'm just annoyed we have another article with an inaccurate title that doesn't actually have any examples in the article (like a map of different routes) that show the how and why. Its basically a UPS fluff piece with no substance. It really bugs me because this something to show folks the value of math and analysis. What types of problem solving go on that can really be improved by application of maps and big data.…

Not to defend the article too much but the title is accurate.

It's imprecise but accurate. "UPS routing algorithms have an extremely strong weighting against left turns outside of residential non-through streets" is well within the errors bars of "UPS trucks don't turn left" when using a tool like conversational English.

In fact the less data the article gives the more it should prefer "UPS trucks don't turn left" you shouldn't report falsely precise digits.

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#27

Post by snarkyturtle »

jnazario wrote: post #15
kristiandupont wrote: post #12

In Denmark, the term højresvingsulykke (right turn accident) is common, meaning when a car, typically a truck, turns right and hits a bicycle. Lots of people are killed from this every year. One theory is that it is primarily foreign truck drivers who are not accustomed to the high number of cyclists in Copenhagen. When I initially saw the title, I was expecting it to be a mistake and actually say "Why UPS Trucks Don…

as a cyclist in the US there's a very common scenario here, too - turning right, looking left, not looking into the turn and bam, cyclist at high risk. TO CLARIFY - the situation i am most referring to is a cross street, where the car is perpendicular to your path and would be coming from your left as a cyclist.

Isn't that pretty much why you always cycle with the direction of traffic? As a runner, I've been told to run against the flow for safety but almost always run into these types of situations (which is why I mostly go out of my way to run behind the cars stopped at intersections.)

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#28

Post by acchow »

jnazario wrote: post #15
kristiandupont wrote: post #12

In Denmark, the term højresvingsulykke (right turn accident) is common, meaning when a car, typically a truck, turns right and hits a bicycle. Lots of people are killed from this every year. One theory is that it is primarily foreign truck drivers who are not accustomed to the high number of cyclists in Copenhagen. When I initially saw the title, I was expecting it to be a mistake and actually say "Why UPS Trucks Don…

as a cyclist in the US there's a very common scenario here, too - turning right, looking left, not looking into the turn and bam, cyclist at high risk. TO CLARIFY - the situation i am most referring to is a cross street, where the car is perpendicular to your path and would be coming from your left as a cyclist.

It's generally a bad idea to "pass on the right", not just for cyclists (tho they are disproportionately harmed).

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#29

Post by blinkingled »

Igglyboo wrote: post #20
pcurve wrote: post #11

Amount of fuel saved is actually negligible. With a fleet of 100,000 trucks, it comes out to be less than 1 gallon per truck per year in savings.

They said they saved 10 million gallons of gas, that's 100 gallons per truck which is $30 million with 3 dollar gas. I think you did your math wrong.

From TFA - it's not just the right turns that saved them that much fuel though -

> As of 2012, the right turn rule combined with other improvements -- for the wow factor, UPS doesn't separate them out -- saved around 10 million gallons of gas and reduced emissions by the equivalent of taking 5,300 cars of the road for a year.

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#30

Post by trhaynes »

kristiandupont wrote: post #12

In Denmark, the term højresvingsulykke (right turn accident) is common, meaning when a car, typically a truck, turns right and hits a bicycle. Lots of people are killed from this every year. One theory is that it is primarily foreign truck drivers who are not accustomed to the high number of cyclists in Copenhagen. When I initially saw the title, I was expecting it to be a mistake and actually say "Why UPS Trucks Don…

I'm confused. Is this cyclist on the sidewalk?
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