▲ 126 ▼ What’s an obscure but concrete technical fact that keeps creating preventable issues in the real world? (feddit.uk) submitted 2 weeks ago by Iconoclast@feddit.uk to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world 112 comments fedilink hide all child comments
[–] phineas1134@reddthat.com 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 child) Jevons Paradox. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 child) Which this actually isn't a straight example of, exactly. Jevon's paradox says more and better roads will mean more cars operating, not less. That happens, but in this case the increase is so great, that it leads to the same level of congestion on the roads all over again. The wiki uses the example of coal. Better boilers and engines increased the use of coal, but it's fair to say industrial Europe had better coal powered equipment afterwards, not the same or worse. (Although, to be fair, congestion is only one metric of traffic performance) permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] phineas1134@reddthat.com 1 point 2 weeks ago (1 child) I agree, Jevon's is not the perfect way to describe this affect. Is there a better way to classify this? It's bugged me for a bit as I've had good debates about adding biking lanes and better sidewalks instead of just more lanes for cars. But Jevon's is the best I could come up with. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 weeks ago No, it's relevant enough, thanks for bringing it up. You could say something about the elasticity of road usage being 1, but if you're not a wonk that means nothing. Induced traffic is another technical term you might see around. Saying "research suggests another lane means an equal number of additional cars, eventually" is about what gets the best comprehension. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 child) Which this actually isn't a straight example of, exactly. Jevon's paradox says more and better roads will mean more cars operating, not less. That happens, but in this case the increase is so great, that it leads to the same level of congestion on the roads all over again. The wiki uses the example of coal. Better boilers and engines increased the use of coal, but it's fair to say industrial Europe had better coal powered equipment afterwards, not the same or worse. (Although, to be fair, congestion is only one metric of traffic performance) permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] phineas1134@reddthat.com 1 point 2 weeks ago (1 child) I agree, Jevon's is not the perfect way to describe this affect. Is there a better way to classify this? It's bugged me for a bit as I've had good debates about adding biking lanes and better sidewalks instead of just more lanes for cars. But Jevon's is the best I could come up with. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 weeks ago No, it's relevant enough, thanks for bringing it up. You could say something about the elasticity of road usage being 1, but if you're not a wonk that means nothing. Induced traffic is another technical term you might see around. Saying "research suggests another lane means an equal number of additional cars, eventually" is about what gets the best comprehension. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] phineas1134@reddthat.com 1 point 2 weeks ago (1 child) I agree, Jevon's is not the perfect way to describe this affect. Is there a better way to classify this? It's bugged me for a bit as I've had good debates about adding biking lanes and better sidewalks instead of just more lanes for cars. But Jevon's is the best I could come up with. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 weeks ago No, it's relevant enough, thanks for bringing it up. You could say something about the elasticity of road usage being 1, but if you're not a wonk that means nothing. Induced traffic is another technical term you might see around. Saying "research suggests another lane means an equal number of additional cars, eventually" is about what gets the best comprehension. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 weeks ago No, it's relevant enough, thanks for bringing it up. You could say something about the elasticity of road usage being 1, but if you're not a wonk that means nothing. Induced traffic is another technical term you might see around. Saying "research suggests another lane means an equal number of additional cars, eventually" is about what gets the best comprehension. permalink fedilink source parent