3 travellers on one quiet road conundrum...

humberklog

So I'm driving down a quiet country road, no traffic met for miles and then coming towards me in the distance is a cyclist, or a dog walker, a scooter, a tractor- basically a slow moving obstacle that is hardly going to concern me because they're on the opposite side of this very, very quiet road...until all of a sudden another car arrives travelling in the same direction as the slow moving object. Which then leads to a much more concentrated approach as the 3 of us meet...on this previously empty road.

How is that? A previous desolate road now has 3 characters on it...and they all meet at the same time and point on the road.

Is it Jung's synchronicity? Or the Transport Gods? Or plain old statistics with a twist of persecution complex?

wexie

Dartz

It's the sort of moment RSA adverts are made from.

With the car on top of the cyclist , the tractor on top of the car, the other car in the back of the tractor and the walker getting steadily wound around the still whirling PTO of the tractor - screaming the whole time.

A horrific set of circumstances so unlikely you can't help but laugh while the judge sentences the tractor driver for 20 years for having no lights at all except for a torch zip-tied to the mudguard.

wexie

If you're actually serious I'd be leaning towards option three.

For synchronicity the coincidence should be somehow have some meaning, which random passersby on a country road don't normally.

Of course it's possible that perhaps the odd time they do, but I guess you'll never know if you just keep speeding past

KevRossi

Another thread on travellers...

humberklog

wexie wrote: »

If you're actually serious I'd be leaning towards option three.

I am serious! It seems to happen a lot to me (or I notice it when it happens...statistic end of spectrum). No one else? Anyone? Bueller?

mickdw

Would the fact the the car approaching behind the slow moving obstacle will have to slow down and hold position until you pass not mean that the whole scenario is much more likely to happen as it's no longer a split second occurrence, more like a 20 second window where you happen to pass by the slow loving traffic.

bazz26

Epic fail, thought this was going to be about our cultural minority friends.

tossy

bazz26 wrote: »

Epic fail, thought this was going to be about our cultural minority friends.

...and then it would be impossible for the road to be 'quiet'

humberklog

mickdw wrote: »

Would the fact the the car approaching behind the slow moving obstacle will have to slow down and hold position until you pass not mean that the whole scenario is much more likely to happen as it's no longer a split second occurrence, more like a 20 second window where you happen to pass by the slow loving traffic.

Well that's what I thought for a long time too. Basically slow moving obstacle (B) will make a car (C) travelling in same direction to slow down which in turn slows down car (A) moving in opposite direction therefore creating a longer stretch of road and time that all 3 can meet at 1 point.


So lets say 10km stretch of road (R).
B moving west at 20km/ph
A moving east at 65km/ph
C moving west at 65km/ph

R x math + A + B + C x math = All 3 are going to fleetingly meet at the same point on the road Every F'ing Time (EFT).

biko

Ships that pass in the night,
and speak each other in passing,
only a signal shown,
and a distant voice in the darkness;

So on the ocean of life,
we pass and speak one another,
only a look and a voice,
then darkness again and a silence.

R.O.R

biko wrote: »

Ships that pass in the night,
and speak each other in passing,
only a signal shown,
and a distant voice in the darkness;

So on the ocean of life,
we pass and speak one another,
only a look and a voice,
then darkness again and a silence.

When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown in to the sea.

TrailerBob

42

mickdw

humberklog wrote: »

Well that's what I thought for a long time too. Basically slow moving obstacle (B) will make a car (C) travelling in same direction to slow down which in turn slows down car (A) moving in opposite direction therefore creating a longer stretch of road and time that all 3 can meet at 1 point.


So lets say 10km stretch of road (R).
B moving west at 20km/ph
A moving east at 65km/ph
C moving west at 65km/ph

R x math + A + B + C x math = All 3 are going to fleetingly meet at the same point on the road Every F'ing Time (EFT).

Well take your average country road, a car could sit behind a tractor for say 1 mins before overtaking.
It would take 7.5 mins to travel the length of the 10 km road at 80 km per hour so an 1 minute window out of 7.5 minute journey for this to occur would mean its going to happen relatively often if the road will commonly be used by slow moving object such as tractor etc.

humberklog

mickdw wrote: »

Well take your average country road, a car could sit behind a tractor for say 1 mins before overtaking.
It would take 7.5 mins to travel the length of the 10 km road at 80 km per hour so an 1 minute window out of 7.5 minute journey for this to occur would mean its going to happen relatively often if the road will commonly be used by slow moving object such as tractor etc.

Ah but that's not what I'm observing.

I'm driving on a clear road. Ahead I see a pedestrian (for e.g). As I approach it's just me and him and then a car comes from same direction as pedestrian. We're all coming to the point at our natural pace but somehow all meet at the same time in the same place. This seems to me to happen a lot.

So I'm not including stalled traffic as that's normal enough.

wexie

humberklog wrote: »

Ah but that's not what I'm observing.

I'm driving on a clear road. Ahead I see a pedestrian (for e.g). As I approach it's just me and him and then a car comes from same direction as pedestrian. We're all coming to the point at our natural pace but somehow all meet at the same time in the same place. This seems to me to happen a lot.

So I'm not including stalled traffic as that's normal enough.

I think you're very much overthinking this.

Think of it this way, if it was just you and another car (traveling the opposite direction to you) you would be passing eachother at same stage right? One way or another.

The slow pedestrian in the middle just increases the chances of all three of you meeting at the same spot, because he's a slow pedestrian.

On top of which you've now noticed it and are wondering about it so are more likely to assign it some significance.

If you started paying attention to how often you either :

1) pass a slow moving object like a pedestrian or cyclist and then a little while later on the same road another car.

2) pass a car and then a little while later a slow moving object.

I think you'll probably find that any of them are likely to happens about as often.

Its one of those things of buying a new car and all of a sudden you see the same model everywhere.

humberklog

Yeah Wexie that's what I think is happening. I'm not recalling the times I go past singular objects but I am noting the times the 3 objects meet at once.

I was just wondering was it just me that notes this experience.

Although I'd like to think of it as a Jungian experience or even Devine meddling it is simply explained by statical analysis.

wexie

humberklog wrote: »

I was just wondering was it just me that notes this experience.

Perhaps not this particular experience (although now I'm sure will, thanks *)

But have had plenty of similar things where I just start noticing things, I'm sure there's a name for it.

*just for screwing wit my head (that does not need screwing with) I'm going to do this

mickdw

Considering your responses, the only logical conclusion is that you are imagining the pedestrian and what is in fact happening is that you are just randomly meeting cars on the road.

humberklog

mickdw wrote: »

Considering your responses, the only logical conclusion is that you are imagining the pedestrian and what is in fact happening is that you are just randomly meeting cars on the road.

Object B is metaphysical?...I've often called them something rhyming with Kant.

Four Phucs Ache

On a local midlands road there is a nasty dip and potholed stretch.

About 20 feet.

For miles nothing, then when approaching said patch at the exact fookin moment I don't want to hit it, I meet a car.


Every.fookin.time.