Just when London's major Boris Johnston announces cyclists may legally be able to make left turns on a red light (makes complete sense, but then I'm a cyclist), I catch a Discovery Channel documentary on UPS Worldport.
I read about this in Alex Frankel's Clocking In which I 'reviewed' here. Great book. Joe was even checking it out as I'd added it to our library. Anyway, I digress.
Apart from the vast organisation of parcels at the 'hub' that is Worldport, I caught many small stories of efficiency, time and money saving that contribute to this great service.
For instance, their freight aircraft landing at Worldport perform a 'continuous descent' where they use the aircraft's natural gliding ability to land slowly, quietly and using minimal engine power, thus saving fuel.
Each delivery driver uses a hand-help computer called a DIAD which helps calculate each days route to maximise efficiency and minimise fuel usage.
But get this - in the US, they NEVER MAKE A LEFT TURN. They do this to avoid all those little hold ups that driving across traffic in the US undoubtedly generate.
How cool is that?
Next time you design a service, where will be your 'no left turn' opportunity?
