A transportation problem - part 2
Late last year, I posted about the informal use of lay-bys near road junctions as places where car-sharing could happen. My observation was that there are many places where a free parking place near a road intersection is almost certain to be used as a rendezvous spot. And this raised questions about optimising "the system" as well as the size of such an informal parking place.
A few days ago, we drove past one of the lay-bys (on the North Devon Link Road) that had been regularly used by car-sharing people. It was almost empty. Why? Because there were signs to restrict the waiting to 60 minutes. At a stroke the value of that lay-by for saving energy has been cancelled. I don't know who arranged that the restriction be imposed. If Devon County Council were responsible, then there's a problem. Because the County Council actively encourages car-sharing.
But, as I said in the earlier post, informal car parks cost money, and there is no direct revenue for the provider. It is a case of defining the system one wants to optimise; the use of the lay-by (opening it up for people who want to have a short stop by the road) or the use of energy (giving commuters a place to leave their cars).
So who can bring some joined-up thinking to this matter?
And where are the commuters who used to use that lay-by?
A few days ago, we drove past one of the lay-bys (on the North Devon Link Road) that had been regularly used by car-sharing people. It was almost empty. Why? Because there were signs to restrict the waiting to 60 minutes. At a stroke the value of that lay-by for saving energy has been cancelled. I don't know who arranged that the restriction be imposed. If Devon County Council were responsible, then there's a problem. Because the County Council actively encourages car-sharing.
But, as I said in the earlier post, informal car parks cost money, and there is no direct revenue for the provider. It is a case of defining the system one wants to optimise; the use of the lay-by (opening it up for people who want to have a short stop by the road) or the use of energy (giving commuters a place to leave their cars).
So who can bring some joined-up thinking to this matter?
And where are the commuters who used to use that lay-by?
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