←back to thread

Ask HN: What are you working on? (February 2025)

261 points david927 | 2 comments | 23 Feb 25 23:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.427s | source

What are you working on? Any new ideas that you're thinking about?
Show context
mavamaarten ◴[24 Feb 25 07:09 UTC] No.43156614[source]▶
I live next to a school, so there's a low speed limit (30 km/h). Still, people drive like race drivers and the city hasn't ever responded to the residents' hopes of introducing a speed camera.

I wanted to have some data on how many people speed, the max speed recorded, that sort of thing. Things the city should be doing after many complaints of dangerous driving and people being almost killed on zebra crossings.

I have a doorbell camera, and by analysing the footage using OpenCV and some code, I can track how fast people drive if you see how fast they move between two known points.

Average speed: 46 km/h :(

replies(15): >>43156678 #>>43156717 #>>43156745 #>>43156800 #>>43156829 #>>43157069 #>>43157443 #>>43157490 #>>43157491 #>>43157679 #>>43157849 #>>43157953 #>>43159077 #>>43159845 #>>43162553 #
fiftyacorn ◴[24 Feb 25 09:22 UTC] No.43157443[source]▶
i think part of the problem is 30mph/48kmph doesnt feel fast - and to get people to drive slower manufacturers need to design cars so 20mph/32kmph feels faster
replies(3): >>43157498 #>>43157903 #>>43159326 #
1. globular-toast ◴[24 Feb 25 10:22 UTC] No.43157903[source]▶
There is another way: make the road feel fast. Thankfully it doesn't need to be via bad road surfaces or horrible things like speed bumps that only encourage boy racers and reward large vehicles, making the road narrower with high kerbs or other physical obstacles force drivers to drive slowly and pay attention, otherwise they'll physically damage their vehicle. In a way it evens the playing field, currently cars can kill you, but they are untouchable, there are no consequences for speeding or being distracted. The main downside I can think of is the route becomes difficult for emergency vehicles to use, but with the saved space there could be a dedicated lane for public vehicles.
replies(1): >>43162321 #
2. mavamaarten ◴[24 Feb 25 17:32 UTC] No.43162321[source]▶
They did try this approach. There's big concrete flower boxes in many places to create some artificial hindrances. It hinders your vision, causes people to swerve, it's annoying to give way. And worst of all: it slows people down for 2 seconds after which they just floor it.

Honestly it's already pretty narrow and crowded here. I'm a regular driver here (duh) and it honestly feels dumb to drive faster than 30 because a cyclist can pop out of every corner. It's crazy to me that people want to, and do drive faster than that. But here we are. People suck.