An increase in traffic - or not?

[Banjo]

That's when its noisiest round here with neds/chavs racing on the Parkway just outside the police station

Sorry to hear that your peace is being shattered,we live in hearing distance of Wales Airport , after living here about 25 years we don't really notice the plane noise much but now the silence is deafening.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I did.



Calm down. I'm talking about people in general, again - people see what they want to see. In the same way that people are convinced that BMWs have non functioning indicators, they look for it.

Traffic the same broadly around here, the data backs it up. You can also look on Google Maps using the 'traffic' overlay and compare it with 'typical' conditions, from that you can see we're way down from normal. I'll take data over opinions any time.

Cheers.

Surely you meant sub conscious bias🤔 perfectly calm but even looking at the Google traffic data you know it’s useless when it comes to minor roads and lanes we cycle in. It tells you nothing. I’d rather pay attention to data that applies to where we are not data that is neither granular enough or robust enough in the areas we are talking about. The Google data does not report on the areas we are referring to. Nor is it open about how the values are determined? What methods are applied? Be also aware where the source of data comes from and how it may be skewed during lockdown.

I will pay attention to data where it is applicable and meaningful,and ignore it where it is not. In this case it is not.

 

[dodgy]

It's called unconscious bias. I'm not making it up.

Anyway, night all, time to go prep dinner/tea/supper (delete as appropriate for your regional preferences).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It's called unconscious bias. I'm not making it up.

Anyway, night all, time to go prep dinner/tea/supper (delete as appropriate for your regional preferences).

“Unconscious bias occurs when people favour others who look like them and/or share their values.”

How exactly does that apply to me when it comes to levels of motorised traffic I am seeing?

 

[PK99]

If pre lockdown traffic levels were 100%, the first 3 weeks of lockdown sat at around 5-10% of ‘normal’ levels. This has exponentially increased to around 40% of ‘normal’ levels since week 3.

It’s still pleasant enough of the roads at the moment with current traffic volumes. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for shared use paths with their pedestrian volumes at the moment.

Are your numbers actual measurements or guesstimates?

 

[dodgy]

“Unconscious bias occurs when people favour others who look like them and/or share their values.”

How exactly does that apply to me when it comes to levels of motorised traffic I am seeing?

It's actually hilarious that your own unconscious bias has looked for an interpretation that meets your agenda. There are some similarities with confirmation bias.

Right, I mean it this time! Good night!

 

[NorthernDave]

Strange isn’t all these born again exercisers were clearly out for a drive or shopping pre lockdown. Just what we’re they doing with their time (now being used for exercise) before?

But if there's an increase in car use, where are they going? Not seeing an increase around here, anyway.

Shopping - there are still people treating it as their daily exercise.
Staff at a local shopping centre have commented that they are seeing some people pretty much every day.

Queuing for an hour (or more) to get into B&Q is seen by some people as a leisure activity.

People are also driving to parks "for exercise", to the point where the council has closed the car parks to stop them doing it. So now they're now parking on the roads and verges outside instead - the police had a field day issuing tickets yesterday apparently.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It's actually hilarious that your own unconscious bias has looked for an interpretation that meets your agenda. There are some similarities with confirmation bias.

Right, I mean it this time! Good night!

Don’t dodge the question, answer it! Sounds like you Googled the term and thought it sounded clever. I really wish you had a cogent argument for using the phrase in this context, but your response has made clear you don’t.

I am all ears if you have an actual reasoned argument as to why I’m showing unconscious bias in noticing increased local traffic whilst out on my rides. Feel free to link to a definition of unconscious bias to your liking before you start on your reasoning.

 

[PK99]

We live just off the Kingston road, sw19. Near a light controlled tram crossing that is a staggered crossroads Dorset Rd. and Hartfield road.

In normal circumstances, the kingston road is busy throughout the day and it takes several lights cycles to cross the tram tracks.
Now I never see a queue of more than a couple of cars.
Ditto Hartfield road, not seen a queue since lockdown.
Dorset road is a Yellow box junction, always a real pain to get out, 20/30 cars queueing at 8.30, other times always a couple of light cycles to get out. Now never see a queue.

Kingston road, maid route into central london, is certainly busier than first week of lockdown, but not majorly so. All the roads feeding it are almost as quiet as Xmas day.

I'd say I observe the same on other roads in the area on our daily perambulations and weekly drive to the supermarket.

I see no significant increase in local traffic.

 

[gavgav]

My perception, nothing scientific, which I can only really compare using bike rides taken straight after I finish working (from home) at 5pm, is that traffic is quieter than pre-lockdown, but busier than it was for the first 4 weeks of lockdown. Last couple of weeks have definitely had more cars pass me and I’m using about 2 or 3 regular routes, so a fairly good comparison can be made.

 

[vickster]

My perception, nothing scientific, which I can only really compare using bike rides taken straight after I finish working (from home) at 5pm, is that traffic is quieter than pre-lockdown, but busier than it was for the first 4 weeks of lockdown.

This around here For sure, especially at weekends
Have air quality data been published for the last few months to compare?

 

[gavgav]

This around here For sure, especially at weekends
Have air quality data been published for the last few months to compare?

There are newspaper articles, with just an overall headline that pollutant levels have dropped, but I tend not to quote those, as can never be trusted! Defra have a site where you can search for data, but last time I tried it seemed overly complicated and so I gave up!

 

[AndreaJ]

I live in rural North Shropshire and I think it’s only the school run traffic that’s missing here, again nothing scientific just my observations. It’s pretty quiet here anyway.

 

[classic33]

But if there's an increase in car use, where are they going? Not seeing an increase around here, anyway.

Locally, short trips to the same shops where they'd have walked before. Despite the walk being the shortest of the two.

Two weeks ago, emergency services aside, there were three vehicles using the nearby main road between 00:00 & 05:00. Milkman between 00:30 & 02:00, bus driver going into work at 03:40, workers service(newly introduced) at 04:40. Drivers(bus) service goes up at 05:50, five minutes earlier than before all the changes were made.

Same road has a similar amount of traffic during those same hours as there was during the day, 12 hours later.

 

[Donger]

I went out for an exercise ride tonight between 5.00 and 6.00pm. In several separate parts of Gloucester I encountered streams of traffic for the first time in weeks. The Western By-Pass, the Southern approaches to Quedgeley and in Tuffley and Podsmead there were definitely more cars driving about than I have seen for a while. Unusual to see so many essential journeys being taken on a Sunday evening when all the shops are shut.