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Abstreet: Traffic simulation game written in Rust

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71–77 of 77 posts

Re: Abstreet: Traffic simulation game written in Rust

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still don't understand the concept of "jaywalking". Is there something wrong with crossing the road in the US?

In the US, you can generally only cross at crosswalks (for sections of roads that have crosswalks,) and only when the signal is in your favor if there is a signal. Beyond that it decays into a bunch of state and local laws. You can get a ticket in many places for crossing at the wrong spot, or agains the signals, even if you didn't inconvenience anyone.

I take it that (most of) the US doesn't have pedestrian right of way, then? That's concerning; it suggests a whole host of other things around road culture, most of which are worrying. For instance, I predict that drivers are likely to pay less attention to the road, and that collisions with pedestrians are more lethal when they do occur.

I'm starting to see why the stereotypical USian drives everywhere, even in small areas.

Re: Abstreet: Traffic simulation game written in Rust

#72
post #70
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yes cars have dedicated lanes for driving bikes have dedicated lanes for biking legs have dedicated lanes for walking do NOT cross the lanes

Just a warning for those visiting the US - crosswalks will only give you a false sense of security in many parts of the the country (bigger cities possibly excepted), many drivers pay 0 attention to them. Had a car narrowly miss me last week in a crosswalk, and honked at me as it whizzed by. I've never witnessed any enforcement of these kinds of violations against the drivers, either.

Honking could also mean "I'm sorry." When you're locked in a car, you have very limited forms of expression...

Re: Abstreet: Traffic simulation game written in Rust

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, you can generally only cross at crosswalks (for sections of roads that have crosswalks,) and only when the signal is in your favor if there is a signal. Beyond that it decays into a bunch of state and local laws. You can get a ticket in many places for crossing at the wrong spot, or agains the signals, even if you didn't inconvenience anyone.

I take it that (most of) the US doesn't have pedestrian right of way, then? That's concerning; it suggests a whole host of other things around road culture, most of which are worrying. For instance, I predict that drivers are likely to pay less attention to the road, and that collisions with pedestrians are more lethal when they do occur. I'm starting to see why the stereotypical USian drives everywhere, even in smal…

Pedestrians have the right of way in the situations I mentioned, but not when "jaywalking."

You're not wrong about the system heavily favoring driver's convenience; and when drivers break the law (even if they injure someone) the punishments are light.

Re: Abstreet: Traffic simulation game written in Rust

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I take it that (most of) the US doesn't have pedestrian right of way, then? That's concerning; it suggests a whole host of other things around road culture, most of which are worrying. For instance, I predict that drivers are likely to pay less attention to the road, and that collisions with pedestrians are more lethal when they do occur. I'm starting to see why the stereotypical USian drives everywhere, even in smal…

Pedestrians have the right of way in the situations I mentioned, but not when "jaywalking." You're not wrong about the system heavily favoring driver's convenience; and when drivers break the law (even if they injure someone) the punishments are light.

According to the Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalking):

> Originally, the legal rule was that "all persons have an equal right in the highway, and that in exercising the right each shall take due care not to injure other users of the way".[8] In time, however, streets became the province of motorised traffic, both practically and legally. Automobile interests in the US took up the cause of labeling and scorning jaywalkers in the 1910s and early 1920s, by then the earlier term of "jay driver" was declining in use.[9][10] The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary follows in 1917.

[8]: Miller McClintock for the Chicago Association of Commerce, "Report and Recommendations of the Metropolitan Street Traffic Survey", p. 133, quoted by Norton, Fighting Traffic, on p. 289.

[9]: Norton, Fighting Traffic, pp. 79-79.

[10]: Peter D. Norton, "Street Rivals: Jaywalking and the Invention of the Motor Age Street", Technology and Culture 48 (April 2007), 331-359 (342). doi:10.1353/tech.2007.0085

Re: Abstreet: Traffic simulation game written in Rust

#75
post #72
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just a warning for those visiting the US - crosswalks will only give you a false sense of security in many parts of the the country (bigger cities possibly excepted), many drivers pay 0 attention to them. Had a car narrowly miss me last week in a crosswalk, and honked at me as it whizzed by. I've never witnessed any enforcement of these kinds of violations against the drivers, either.

Honking could also mean "I'm sorry." When you're locked in a car, you have very limited forms of expression...

I really wish cars came with PA systems installed. There are so many situations I encounter every day where it'd be useful:

- "Turn on your lights"

- "Move over"

- "Thanks"

- "Sorry"

- (incoherent obscenities)

- "Have a nice day"

I'm seriously considering picking up some programmable LED sign and wiring these sorts of messages to buttons I can press while driving.

Re: Abstreet: Traffic simulation game written in Rust

#76
post #43
post #20

This is pretty cool! One thing that bothers me about every traffic simulation I've ever seen, though: all of the vehicles and pedestrians here seem to be obeying the law. That's just not realistic -- especially on Mercer, which is blocked (both directions) every few minutes in rush hour by some jerk trying to make an illegal turn onto a packed street. I'd say the main causes of traffic blockages that I encounter duri…

Another thing I'd be interested in seeing modeled are the people who squeeze into an exit lane at the very last minute. I've only ever commuted in the LA area but it's one of the biggest contributors to traffic by the freeway interchanges.

Yep. Happens all the time going northbound on 280 at the 101/280 interchange in SF. You'll always see at least one person clogging up one of the two 280 north lanes by trying to squeeze into the (almost always near-stationary) 101 north lanes. Then, further up 280, the same thing happens with the 6th Street exit, without fail.

Re: Abstreet: Traffic simulation game written in Rust

#77
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honking could also mean "I'm sorry." When you're locked in a car, you have very limited forms of expression...

I really wish cars came with PA systems installed. There are so many situations I encounter every day where it'd be useful: - "Turn on your lights" - "Move over" - "Thanks" - "Sorry" - (incoherent obscenities) - "Have a nice day" I'm seriously considering picking up some programmable LED sign and wiring these sorts of messages to buttons I can press while driving.

This is one of the many things I miss from cycling when driving a car: being able to just match speeds with someone else and hold a conversation over something that happened.
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