Re-elect Rockstar Librarian Kate
My Platform
Exodus
We are all a creative bunch. We should be able to find a solution that allows our lovely city to disband with relative calm. There are many approaches to consider that may not be standard. But we aren't a standard bunch of people. Why not experiment with exodus like we do with the rest of Burning Man? My political advisors and I have some initiatives up for discussion. Here are some thought provoking options:
- Queue based on direction driving. Where is the bottleneck? - from Joe, campaign advisor
I've heard many a time that Burning Man exodus is like trying to drain a bathtub through a straw, and in many ways I agree. But the analogy is not completely accurate, because our BRC straw is not a constant flow like water down a tube. Instead, our tube has innumerable fits and bursts caused by many factors such as road conditions, vehicle breakdowns, tired drivers and even animals on the road.
There is probably a lot more going on in the background than we see, but it would appear the main focus of metering traffic out of BRC occurs at the main gate exclusively and once you are on the 8 mile stretch of Hwy 34 heading towards Gerlach you are on your own. Of course we agree the gate to Hwy 34 is a huge bottleneck and that traffic must be carefully metered, but in our experience Hwy 34 is not the primary capacity limiting factor but a secondary one.
We believe the real capacity limiting factor is the ebb and flow on 447 South from Gerlach to I-80. This is evidenced by the fact that once you leave the gate and are on Hwy 34 there are times where there are large gaps and things move reasonably quickly, and other times it is extremely slow and jammed. Quick or slow, those people exiting at Gerlach to 447 North / Alturas never cause a backup, simply by virtue there are fewer people heading that direction so 447 North moves quickly. This means that the fits and bursts on Hwy 34 are caused almost exclusively by 447 South traffic heading through Gerlach towards I-80.
This got us thinking there might be a way to boost throughout on Hwy 34 by using this road more efficiently. It might look something like this:1. As you cue for exodus in BRC, traffic would be segregated by 447 North and South. For example, 447 North / Alturas traffic would take the left most lane(s). There will be a lot more lanes for 447 South to I-80 since there are more people leaving that route.
2. A real time monitor can watch the Gerlach junction from Hwy 34 to 447 North / Alturas and relay traffic conditions to the main gate.
3. Gate staff can meter exiting vehicles in real time as traffic permits. For example, if the 34-447 junction is running smoothly, gate staff would allow 4+ cars heading South for every 1 car heading North (since there are fewer cars heading North this is fair and helps keep 447 South at maximum capacity). However, if 447 South traffic backs up in Gerlach the gate staff can quickly adjust the ratio so that Hwy 34 does not back up and you can move more people (heading North) on Hwy 34 and out of BRC.
Essentially, you always plan to use the capacity limiting factor (447 South) to its fullest, while also boosting the efficiency of other system resources (Hwy 34). This won’t help the people trying to get to I-80, but it won’t hurt them either and it will get more people (heading North) out of the City more quickly.
4. Education Component: People stuck in the longer, slower lines heading to 447 South may become frustrated when they see 447 North lines are moving quicker. There must be a way to inform 447 South traffic why this is, that they are no worse off as a result and that changing lanes will only make matters worse for everybody. Some people will still jump lanes and cheat anyway, in which case we are no worse off than the system that is currently in place.
A more in-depth study and citizen transportation assessment will identify the best process to implement this program.
- Fast Pay Approach: Let's all get a fast pass for a window of time during the day you'd like to leave and then you queue up. If it can work for Disney, it can work for BRC! Why not make good something used for evil in the real world?
Gentrification of BRC
Black Rock City used to be a city built on amazingly creative ideas. I am not talking about the large art that takes many man hours and $$$, but the theme camps created by you and me. As a 10 year BRC veteran, I have participated in large scale and small scale theme camps, official and not. What have I learned? The best camps have had the most creative idea that cost the least to implement. Case in point: in 2000, my crew created Black Rock Hall of Justice. We created a replica of the Super Friends Hall of Justice and then held court cases to settle disputes among BRC camps and citizens. We even sent our citizens jury notifications through the BRCPO. This was by far one of the cheapest camps to create, and it relied mostly on performance art and the interactivity of the citizens.
Last year our camp became the cracked out looking camp because one of our large domes was lifted up and rolled down the street early in the week. Our poor dome then didn't seem to fit in the perfect alignment of RVs, superdomes, and condo camps. What ever happened to camping in tents? I have to admit, it's nice to know someone with an RV for the dust storms, but I have endured the noon-6pm daily dust storms of 2000 and am here to say that some of my best memories about BRC come from being caught in a dust storm. I have seen the best in people, giving the shirts and skirts off their bodies to help shelter people from the dust. It's when I feel most alive!
My challenge to you: Take a great idea and $250 or less to create your 2009 theme camp, art or performance art. We all have more resilience than we know. Let's tap into our creative energies!