Sign in / up

back to article Ford touts tech to bottle up traffic jams

Ford today promised to help motorists keep moving through heavy traffic, but the caveats it's applying to its prototype mean we won't be jam free for quite some time. Appropriately dubbed "Traffic Jam Assist", the technology Ford was keen to tout today uses radar and cameras to track other vehicles and road markings while …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections
This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Danny 14

    not too bad

    We already have the adaptive cruise control with is great for the swerving audis and roadworks. Not too bothered about autopark but a step forwards.

    0 0
  2. david willis
    Devil

    Reverse Parking - A French version

    Will Ford be providing a revision for the French market place that takes into account the gap between the three vehicles in front & behind your inteded parking space, provides a statistical probability as to if the handbreak of said vehicles is engaged and calculates potential damage to bumpers before attempting parrallel parking?

    Surely the French will both love and ignore any such system, since it isn't installed on a citreon/renault/peugot

    1 0
  3. Steve Evans

    2 wheels?

    If it can't handle cyclists, then the only place it might work is on the motorway... Unless it also can't handle motorcycles either. In which case it just doesn't work at all does it!

    9 0
  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Great until it all goes tits up.

    Hands up which Ford (and many others makers for that matter) have had a MAF or speed sensor failures and suffered the grief that gives you.

    Car stalling at 30mph around an island anyone?

    1 0
  5. Buzzword

    Up to 30mph only

    The system is only engaged at speeds below 30mph. So it's strictly limited to jam conditions; it's not a super cruise control system. No doubt future versions will support higher speeds, after a few years of real-world testing.

    1 0
    1. Geoff Campbell Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Go

      Re: Up to 30mph only

      That's interesting. I've been cursing the adaptive cruise control on my Toyota for a couple of years, because it cuts out under 25mph, making it a bit of a pain on UK motorways during the rush hour. Great in free-flowing traffic, though.

      GJC

      0 0
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    LOL Ford

    I noticed a recent TV advert for the latest Ford somethingorother. They couldn't even be bothered to feature a right-hand drive model.

    0 0
    1. Kubla Cant
      Reply Icon

      Re: LOL Ford

      Not just Ford. I get the impression that most TV ads for cars show left-hand drive models, even, oddly, in an ad featuring people who talk in English.

      Mind you, there's an ad at the moment for a car that you can drive under water. Can this be true?

      0 0
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: LOL Ford

        What is so odd about advertising left hand drive cars to people who speak English? There's only about 370 million of us (US + Canada).

        1 0
        1. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: LOL Ford

          Sorry this is a UK based site therefore considering we Brits drive on the left it is usual for car adverts to feature a right hand drive car. Did I explain that simply enough for you?

          1 0
    2. TeeCee Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: LOL Ford

      Very few manufacturers do. What they used to do was flip the picture so it looked like it was a RHD car.

      What stopped 'em was going all "contact us via teh inathtoobes". This caused a deluge of idle pedantry pointing out that the number plate was barse-ackwards. This is something that most people aren't arsed enough to write a letter about, but will happily thumb a smug tweet unto The Great Electronic Deafness upon spotting.

      0 0
  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I hope to god Apple don't get into the personal transport industry, they'd be buying up pieces of land just for roads that only their vehicles would be allowed to use, and if you think fanbois can be vocal on the interenet, just wait until they get their own Apple cars!

    0 1
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Apple cars

      At least the roads would be less congested as only the upper middle classes would be able to afford them and coupled with the superior IQ there would be less accidents. Bring it on please.

      0 3
      1. DJO Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Apple cars

        Well there would be less accidents on the non-Apple roads as all the fanbois are diverted to the iRoads where they will be in their iCars but not really paying attention to the road as they play with their iDevice just before they iCrash.

        Darwinism in action - bring it on.

        So I have to agree the roads with the higher IQ drivers will be safer because all the idiots who think they can text ‘n’ drive will be on the iRoads.

        0 0
  8. Tom 35

    Clear road markings?

    So what happens when it snows a bit?

    Kid with a can of paint and a line running into a farmers field?

    0 0
  9. The Grump
    Facepalm

    What was that bump...

    Oh, look in the mirror ! There's a helmet, wait, there's a mashed up bicycle, hold on, there's a .... oh no. Honey, do you still have that lawyer on speed dial ?

    0 0
  10. gizmo23

    Not any time soon

    I remember working at a car technology demonstration show sometime in the early eighties where Ford showed all the cool stuff they were going to fit to their cars in the future. This included the LED rear lights (took about 20 years) and multiplexed wiring loom (still waiting). I was one of the crew who pushed the demonstator model car onto the stage because the battery was flat and was in the back of the engine compartment and so could not be replaced without dismantling most of the dashboard assembly.

    Based on this statistically significant sample of one I'd say "don't hold your breath".

    0 0
  11. TeeCee Gold badge
    Happy

    Cyclists.

    I'm sure that if you switch it on when there are cyclists around, it'll still work. More importantly, you'll be doing your bit to help other Ford drivers too.

    0 0
This topic is closed for new posts.