HIS PLAN WOULD LET COMMUTERS LIVE AND LET DRIVE
Bob Armstrong sits in traffic, committed to the route he has chosen, yet filled with doubt that it was the correct decision.
He knows that from his workplace - once in Norfolk and now in Hampton - to his home in Smithfield, the 22-mile trek will take about an hour. He knows that if he tries an alternate route, it stretches into a 35-mile journey, but may take less time. Most days, he leaves the office at 6 p.m., but he knows there are days he has to leave at 5:30 or his commute will be worse. But he is ambivalent about the final result. His philosophy is, "This is the way I'm going, and I have to suck it up."
And what eats at him, he says, is that the entire time he is behind the wheel, he knows there is information out there that could make the commute easier. So why should anyone care about Armstrong's gripe - cry me the Elizabeth River, Bob?
Because Armstrong is as close to a solution as anyone else, and - better yet - he works in a field that could help solve traffic problems. He is part of the modeling and simulation industry, which uses computer and other technologies to re-create large-scale problems without the heavy cost of a full experiment.
Armstrong served as the 2010 chairman for the Modeling and Simulation World Conference and Expo at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. He is also a member of the board of advisers to the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center at Old Dominion University.
Last month he spoke at an event called Ignite Hampton Roads, where he gave a lecture called "I Hate to Drive Home." His talk was 55 minutes shorter than his usual commute.
In the past year, he figured, he has spent 22 days just driving back and forth to work. Then, in a moment of self-realization, he noticed that, the more he sits in his car, the less willing he is to go for a run when he gets home. The less willing he is to work out, the more willing he is to have a beer and the greater the chances that health insurance executives and actuaries will start to doubt his health.
Why not turn to the mod/sim industry for a solution?
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