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(Mis)Uses of Technology

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Nov 22nd 2005 4:17pm





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.

7 Comments | Leave a Comment..


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  1.  

    Except for the US Virgin Islands

    identicon
    dorpus, Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 4:37pm

    Where traffic is on the left side, thanks to the British legacy.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  

    Re: Except for the US Virgin Islands

    identicon
    qyiet, Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 4:47pm

    And New Zealand

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  

    No Subject Given

    identicon
    COD, Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 5:33pm

    I do this when I'm out running errands. I order them to minimize left turns at busy intersections.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  

    I used to deliver beer

    identicon
    Stoolio, Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 6:09pm

    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'.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  

    I just try to avoid driving completely..

    identicon
    zcat, Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 11:24pm

    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left?

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  

    Re: I just try to avoid driving completely..

    identicon
    Just one guy, Nov 23rd, 2005 @ 12:41am

    :-) Thank you, zcat. You made my day!

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  

    But does it understand curvy roads too?

    identicon
    Myself, Nov 27th, 2005 @ 7:26pm

    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.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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