The Traffic Problem on America's Highways

As Americans, we have grown accustomed to the presence of large cargo trucks, or eighteen-wheelers, on our highways. Certainly these vehicles must travel efficiently from one location to the next to pick up or deliver cargo, but it is really necessary to have them jammed in with the rest of the traffic? I doubt if anyone would really mind if suddenly we didn't have to deal with maneuvering around the lumbering behemoths on a daily basis. These trucks are large and restrictive to the traffic flow to say the least, but their presence is felt much more under bad weather conditions.

When roads are wet and slippery and you find yourself following or attempting to pass an eighteen-wheeler that is trailing a wall of rain runoff, you quickly realize what a nuisance they can be. Again, shouldn't we ask ourselves if there is a better way? I would like to outline a proposal for a small, separate lane paralleling existing roadways, utilizing existing bridges, etc., which will partition the flow of passenger-vehicle traffic from the flow of large-truck traffic. This lane will be used by large trucks only, and offers a solution for traffic problems and accidents involving commercial transport vehicles, as well as a solution for delivering cargo more quickly using large trucks. The benefits of this lane are as follows:

*Increased Safety for Passenger-Vehicle Traffic
*Quicker Cargo Delivery
*Convenience and Safety for Truck Drivers

The plan will utilize a concrete barrier to completely separate the lane from the shoulder of the existing roadway. One lane will be constructed on either side of the existing highway to completely divide the flow of commercial traffic, and will resemble a feeder road on either side of the highway that never actually merges with the main roadway. The plan is applicable to all existing thoroughfares and will drastically reduce major traffic accidents and shorten delivery time for roadway-transported cargo.

Many of the most deadly accidents on America's roadways today are caused by interaction between eighteen-wheeler trucks and passenger vehicles. Due to the sheer size and weight of these vehicles, and the forces they create upon impact, accidents with these vehicles result in catastrophic injury, maiming, and death. According to the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (http://www.ihs.org/safety_facts/fatality_facts/trucks.htm), large truck occupant deaths number about 700 annually, while 3,700 passenger vehicle occupants die each year.

While 51% of interstate highways and freeways in America have been enlarged to accomodate eighteen-wheeler transport trucks, many roadways have not been enlarged, and this poses a serious threat to the traffic that travels these roadways. Large commercial trucks account for a large number of accidents along America's roadways each year, and even if they are not directly involved in these accidents, close proximity to these trucks in inherently problematic. Large trucks also contribute to reduced visibility for passenger-vehicle drivers.

Proposal as a Solution
A small, separate lane paralleling existing roadways, utilizing existing bridges, etc., will partition the flow of passenger-vehicle traffic from the flow of commercial, large-truck traffic. Dallas, Texas and Houston, Texas have adopted arrangements similar to this with HOV, or High-Occupancy Vehicle, lanes that divide passenger-vehicle traffic from commercial traffic, but with no requirement for constructing new bridges or overpasses. The proposed lane will be constructed at no more than ten feet from the shoulder lane of the existing roadway, but will utilize a concrete barrier to completely separate the lanes. The lanes will be constructed on either side of the existing highway to completely divide the flow of commercial traffic and eliminate the need for precautions during rest stops. Of course, it will be necessary to enforce the appropriate speed limits and traffic signs for commercial traffic, as the lanes will be used by large trucks only. The funds expended in constructing these lanes will quickly be repaid by reductions in legal costs from lawsuits due to large-truck-involved accidents. The stretch of Freeway 288 between Lake Jackson, Texas and Houston, Texas is ideal for trial. The length of time for construction in this area should not exceed four years.

Increased Safety for Passenger-Vehicle Traffic
These exclusive lanes will simply remove the hazards of reduced visibility, the obstacle of lower speeds of trucks, and passenger vehicles attempting to pass trucks on two-lane highways. As speed limits are consistently five to ten miles-per-hour lower for eighteen-wheelers on most highways, accidents due to passing are ever-increasing.

Quicker Cargo Delivery
If commercial lanes are provided, eighteen-wheelers will not be hindered by smaller-vehicle traffic, and will deliver their cargo to its destination much more quickly than with existing arrangements. Just as passenger-vehicle traffic flow must slow upon encountering commercial traffic, large trucks must slow and often deviate their routes due to passenger-vehicle traffic. Separating the flow of traffic frees each to operate consecutively without problems.

Convenience and Safety for Truck Drivers
Most smaller highways are also not equipped with rest-stop areas, which means that large trucks layover on the shoulders of these highways and mark their positions with reflectors or flares. This is redundant if the trucks are already separated from the majority of traffic and, of course, rest-stops are accessible from these lanes if necessary.

This proposal will eliminate traffic problems that result from passenger-vehicles in close proximity to commercial traffic and allow truckers to deliver cargo more quickly, and will reduce the amount of time on the road for truckers, which reduces the need for rest-stop areas.