specialized behavior
The PedalPalooza Kickoff Parade was yesterday. It was so cool to see so many people take over the streets. One thing I was curious about before the parade began was how a group so large could manage to stay together through all the street lights and cars downtown.
Upon coming to an intersection a few members of the group dismount from their bikes and simply hold off traffic on each side. At the beginning of the ride I was at the back of the group and seeing all that traffic being held back by just a few cyclists at each intersection was really something. And it wasn't just 4-way stops, traffic light intersections got the same treatment. Most drivers seemed to enjoy the sight of hundreds of costumed bikers riding by. But just before heading over the Burnside bridge to the eastside and away from downtown I saw a woman seated in the front seat of her car...asleep. I should have stopped to nab a picture.
This practice of holding up traffic as a way to keep the group together is a pretty simple behavior and whether knowingly or not, its from right out of the playbook of army ants.
Upon coming to an intersection a few members of the group dismount from their bikes and simply hold off traffic on each side. At the beginning of the ride I was at the back of the group and seeing all that traffic being held back by just a few cyclists at each intersection was really something. And it wasn't just 4-way stops, traffic light intersections got the same treatment. Most drivers seemed to enjoy the sight of hundreds of costumed bikers riding by. But just before heading over the Burnside bridge to the eastside and away from downtown I saw a woman seated in the front seat of her car...asleep. I should have stopped to nab a picture.
This practice of holding up traffic as a way to keep the group together is a pretty simple behavior and whether knowingly or not, its from right out of the playbook of army ants.
"...some ants use their bodies to plug potholes in the trail leading back to the nest, making a flatter surface for... maximum speed."Furthermore,
"The research demonstrates that a simple but highly specialized behavior performed by a minority of... workers can improve the performance of the majority, resulting in a clear benefit for the society as a whole."Cool man. Cool.