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Left-Hand Turns: The Bane Of The Delivery Business
from the stay-to-the-right dept
For many years we've talked about how the various package delivery companies are at the forefront when it comes to new technologies and data. They're always working to make things more efficient. Apparently, it even gets down to the level of optimizing a driver's route to minimize left-hand turns. They have specific software that tries to eliminate as many left-hand turns as possible, knowing that it's safer (fewer accidents) and more efficient and wastes less. This might seem obvious in retrospect, but it's interesting to hear about a company actually making use of that fact to try to optimize around it.
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Except for the US Virgin Islands
Where traffic is on the left side, thanks to the British legacy.
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Re: Except for the US Virgin Islands
And New Zealand
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No Subject Given
I do this when I'm out running errands. I order them to minimize left turns at busy intersections.
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I used to deliver beer
I delivered keg beer in Atlanta for years and learned really fast to plan the route as many right turns as possible... not easy when you have so many 'time stops'.
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I just try to avoid driving completely..
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left?
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Re: I just try to avoid driving completely..
:-) Thank you, zcat. You made my day!
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But does it understand curvy roads too?
I've been asking for this feature for years, ever since DeLorme Street Atlas sent me down a twisty little dirt road in the country because it was .01 mile shorter than the straight-roads route.
Simply understanding that tightly-curved roads can't be traveled at high speed, and that turns at intersections have a cost, would make the routing so much better. Being able to assign a higher cost to left turns than right turns would be nice, but just encouraging the software to minimize turns would be a huge step forward.
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