How Motorcycles Could Eradicate Traffic
Swapping cars for bikes drastically reduces traffic and emissions, according to a new study.
By Claire_Martin Feb 16, 2012 12:43PM
We know that motorcycles get far better gas mileage than passenger cars and trucks, so it follows that if motorcycles replaced cars on the roads, gas consumption would decrease. But traffic would also drop significantly -- a revelation that comes courtesy of a new study by a Belgian transportation-research firm. Researchers used computer-modeling software to analyze a stretch of highway between the Belgian cities of Leuven and Brussels, pulling from rush-hour traffic statistics during a typical workday last May. They found that if 10 percent of cars were replaced by motorcycles, drivers' commuting times would decrease by 40 percent and emissions would drop by 6 percent. (The latter is a combination of the fact that motorcycles inherently have lower emissions and that emission rates drop as a vehicle's speed increases -- which it is wont to do when traffic lightens or dissipates.)
Moreover, when the results were extrapolated to Belgium's other highways, the time savings for all vehicles was 15,000 hours per day. And when 25 percent of cars were swapped out for motorcycles, traffic was eliminated entirely.
The explanation for the traffic cure is simple enough. "When there is little traffic on the road, it can be expected that motorcycles will take up as much space on the road as cars," researchers wrote. "However, when the road becomes busier, and the speed of the traffic flow falls, motorcycles take up less space. Some motorcycles keep less distance from the vehicle in front or ride between two lanes." And when car traffic stops altogether, motorcycles keep moving thanks to lane splitting -- the practice of steering between rows of cars lined up in traffic lanes, which is legal in many parts of the world.
Since the study incorporated only statistics on Belgium's primary roads, its main commuter thoroughfares, there are limits to what researchers can do to predict further-reaching traffic reductions. But they speculate that secondary roads would experience a similar traffic boon: "Based on a number of partial reflections, it can be expected that the time benefit is of the same order of magnitude as that of the primary road network," they wrote, though they added that "additional research is needed to substantiate this statement."
95Comments
Feb 22, 2012 6:28AM
I live in Belgium and believe this article to be very well written. My commute from NATO to Overijse is only 17Km (10 miles) and sometimes it take nearly 2 hours. I alway make room for the motorcycles so that they may pass. The only reason I don't ride one is that I am required to wear a coat and tie daily, and it rains here about 4 days a week.
Feb 22, 2012 6:28AM
And what about those who die in the event of an accident? Motorcyclists are much more vulnerable in an accident than someone riding in a car. I thought we were all about safety and keeping people alive. Don't see any of those statistics in this study. And why the hell are we looking to Europe again to solve a US problem, if there even is one. just another incident of where the gubmint is trying to pinch pennies. When i get me a good job here in the next month, i'm going to get a gas hog just to piss Obama and the libs off.
Feb 22, 2012 6:26AM
Here in Colorado, weather changes abruptly, so motorcycles are much less common than SUVs and Pickups. As other posters have mentioned, this looks real good on the computer screen, but will simply not work in the real world. I do my part for emissions and traffic and commute before the rush hours.
Feb 22, 2012 6:25AM
Feb 22, 2012 6:23AM
I;ve ridden a bike for 11 Years As to less traffic when stopped 2 bikers who know each other may also stop together in the same lane. Once when traffic was stopped due to an accident 2 of us asked DPS if we could push the bikes on the sidewalk. He said just don't start and ride them. Traffic is not the only advantage. You actually can park 4 bikes in the same space as 1 car and the blocked out areas at the end of parking lanes to create the diagonal are perfect for 1 or 2 bikes. Less land paved over for parking lots means more grass in cities.Subnormal doesn't know that a four stoke bike engine works exactly like your car engine. 4 strokes are all the street bikes you see and must pass the same pollution controls as your cars. They must meet the standards of the state they are sold in.
Feb 22, 2012 6:22AM
Feb 22, 2012 6:19AM
Feb 22, 2012 6:17AM
Feb 22, 2012 6:12AM
Feb 22, 2012 6:10AM
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