Solving gridlock with online game credits

Man, traffic sucks.

Roads are congested, traffic lights aren’t synched properly, the interstate’s always a mess, and everyone’s always trying to get somewhere the same time I’m trying to get somewhere. We talk about the problem, and talk about it, and talk about it. We here at 225 talk about it, too.

Well, what if the answer to traffic woes wasn’t infrastructure improvements (like more and wider roads) but changing commuter habits? What if you were paid to go to work and leave work during off-peak hours? Stanford professor Balaji Prabhakar told the website Ars Technica that just shifting 10 percent of the commuter load from peak times to off-peak times is enough to significantly reduce congestion (read that story here).

Furthermore, Prabhakar put that idea into action, creating a program on Stanford’s campus where participants have their vehicles outfitted with a small device that monitors driving habits. The participants (students, teachers and faculty) get credits for traveling outside of the big commuting hours, which can either be redeemed upfront for cash or put toward playing an online game that yields bigger prizes.

People who took part in the program say it’s cut down their commute time. And I’m sure people who didn’t participate also saw a change, as well. The university loved the program so much, officials plan to expand it to help alleviate parking issues (Parking! Almost as bad as traffic!). Prabhakar’s also replicated the program on a larger scale in Singapore.

If you’re interested in finding out what Baton Rouge and state officials are doing to improve transit options and lots more dealing with traffic and smart growth across the state, check out the Louisiana Smart Growth Summit Aug. 27-29 at the Manship Theatre. The schedule can be found here. Early registration deadline is Aug. 23.