h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For five years I lived 300 yards from one of London's most traffic-choked roads - Turnpike Lane. All day long (from the beginning of the morning rush hour until around 8pm) that road is a half mile long car park... except between 9am and 10.00pm when it's virtually empty.

I've noticed the same phenomenon here. I enjoy walking to the food store each morning at about this time because there's virtually no traffic on the usually busy road on which GoshoTowers stands.

I'm at a loss to understand why the traffic should be so light for that one hour or so each weekday. The rush hour is usually over by 9am, so quite obviously that accounts for part of it, but if that were the only factor, then the roads would be clear for most of the day except during the rush hours and at lunchtime when people are using their cars to do mid-day shopping, and when part-time morning workers are going home and part-time afternoon workers are going to work.

I can't think why working drivers should be off the road at the time. Take for instance, the people who have to deliver car parts to mechanics. Most mechanics open at 8am (or earlier) and expect people to bring in their cars for repair around that time. The mechanic then takes a look at the car, decides what parts are needed, and phones in his order. So I reckon that by 9-9.30am the parts distributors would have their vans out on the road delivering spark plugs, crank cases, timing belts, and brake pads.

When I had a furniture workshop, between 9am and 10am was the time when we'd head off to the timberyard so that we could get a start on the day's work, and judging by the number of other people there so did most of the other local carpenters/furniture makers/joiners, etc.

And when I was a removal man, I usually started the first job of my day at 9.30 or 10am, so I was always on the road during this quiet hour.

Then there's the mini-rush hour - the people who work in shops and businesses which open at 10am, and there are quite a lot of those.

I can't think of one good reason why the roads should be so utterly empty for that one hour a day, and not at other times, such as between 1 and 2pm for instance - the hour immediately after lunch.

Hi, Gosho. I don't u derstand your math.

You said: "except between 9am and 10.00pm when it's virtually empty"

That's thirteen hours, not one hour.

I meant 9am and 10am of course... which should have come through from the rest of the post I'd have thought

I agree: it's the best time to get anywhere - except at 5am of course

But I think it's because the workers have got to work and the shoppers are still sorting out their lists at home. Simple.

F/b

Had you going, didn't I, Gosho.

Dedham, the town I work in, is intersected by a lot of busy highways. Up to 25,000 vehicles per hour go through the town

As a "stay at home" (what a laugh! ), I think the explanation is that since the stores don't open until 10, we get home things done before then, then head out to make the rounds, and run errands the rest of the day.

I know of no explanation for the lack of trucks on the road though... unless they've reached their destination by that time and are unloading their goods... or else they haven't gotten away from where they're being loaded onto the trucks yet.

A lot of car repair places around here will take a customer car to pick up parts - this saves time and energy in the long run, because they work on a car then take it out for a test drive to see if the problem is fixed, or get a car warmed up that only has an intermittent problem, and the drive for parts gives them a chance to diagnose a problem.

I'm glad we've got all that sorted out now.

Stores don't open until 10am over there?

It varies.

Supermarkets tend to be open by 8:00 a.m.

The other stores open at 9:00 or 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. for the most part.

Don't forget that a lot of places are open 24/7

And there are plenty of shops in the UK which open at 10 instead of 9 y'know Parffers

The big discount chains like Walmart and Kmart, and the drug store chains are often open 24-7, the grocery stores are open by 7 or 8 am... but the stores at the mall (such as shoe stores, department stores, dress shops, jewelry shops, card shops, gift shops, etc,) generally don't open until 10, except between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when they're usually open by 9 or 9:30 am.

And since the kind of people w**k at music stores aren't known for being up with the lark, most of them don't open until 10am at the earliest... except for the one I w**k at

But only until next week Two more shifts to go

Here, aside from convenience stores, nothing here used to be open before 9:30 am.

The shopping malls don't usually open before 9:30, and some before 10. Most shops open at 9:30.

Chapters used to open at 7:30am and close at 11:00pm, 7 days a week. Since it was the only place open, besides Starbucks, in a good radius, there were usually people in the store that early. We were also right in the middle of the By Ward Market; the transfer point for the East-West/North-South Ottawa and Outaouais bus lines (that is the OC Transpo, the Ottawa bus lines, and the STO, the bus line serving the Hull, Gatineau, etc, on the Quebec side, called the Outaouais). That meant we had a lot of people pop in while waiting for their next bus (as well as street people, lay-abouts, shoplifters, students bunking off school, etc., etc.).

I can still remember the days when store hours were 9-5, Monday to Saturday. If you worked until 5, and you needed to buy something, you were SOL until Saturday.

Most stores are open until 9 Thursday and Friday evenings, now. It used to be only malls outside the downtown area that were open later. Most shopping malls are open until 9.

one thing that might explain why there's more traffic after lunch is shiftwork. most businesses that operate 2 or 3 eight hour shifts end their first shift between 1:30 and 3:30, so there would be people traveling to and from work around those times (which would adequately cover the time between lunch and 'normal' rush hour).

A lot of the roads in my area are busy 16 hours a day. Centre Street, which goes through West Roxbury, is pretty nearly impossible for a pedestrian to cross, from early in the morning to late at night.

That explanation makes sense bore, and don't most schools turn out at 2pm or 3pm these days? Whatever happened to the four o'clock bell?

'bore'

Oh, that's something you never do broe

Just be sure not to say uncomplimentary things about the people you're adressing, after you *think* the microphone has been turned off, Gosho. That happened to John Kerry today.

I heard

Doesn't quite come up to Reagan's standard though:
"Russia has been outlawed and we begin bombing in five minutes"

"My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

Despite the fact that most of understand that Bush, his cabinet, and the people pulling their strings *are* as crooked as a country lane, you really can't say that sort of thing if you're running against them in a Presidential election