Rat running or
cut-through driving refer to the use of secondary roads or residential side streets as opposed to the intended main roads in urban or suburban areas in order to avoid
heavy trafficTraffic congestion is a condition on networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction between vehicles...
, lengthy
traffic signalsTraffic lights, also known as stop lights, stoplight, traffic lamps, stop-and-go lights, robots or semaphore, are signaling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations to control competing flows of traffic.Traffic lights have been installed in most cities...
, or other obstacles lengthening a travel. Rat runs are frequently taken by motorists who are familiar with the local geography. They will often take such short cuts to avoid busy main roads and junctions, even at the expense of having to negotiate
traffic calmingTraffic calming is the slowing or reduction of motor-vehicle traffic to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists and improve the environment for residents. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...
measures that may be in place to discourage them or even laws that are enacted against certain moves.
The associations with "beating the crowd", the
rush hourA rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest...
, and the
rat raceA rat race is a fierce competition to maintain or improve one's position in the workplace or social life. This term presumably alludes to the rat's desperate struggle for survival. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]Source: www.yourdictionary.com...
likely gave rise to the term.
Rat running or
cut-through driving refer to the use of secondary roads or residential side streets as opposed to the intended main roads in urban or suburban areas in order to avoid
heavy trafficTraffic congestion is a condition on networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction between vehicles...
, lengthy
traffic signalsTraffic lights, also known as stop lights, stoplight, traffic lamps, stop-and-go lights, robots or semaphore, are signaling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations to control competing flows of traffic.Traffic lights have been installed in most cities...
, or other obstacles lengthening a travel. Rat runs are frequently taken by motorists who are familiar with the local geography. They will often take such short cuts to avoid busy main roads and junctions, even at the expense of having to negotiate
traffic calmingTraffic calming is the slowing or reduction of motor-vehicle traffic to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists and improve the environment for residents. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...
measures that may be in place to discourage them or even laws that are enacted against certain moves.
The associations with "beating the crowd", the
rush hourA rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest...
, and the
rat raceA rat race is a fierce competition to maintain or improve one's position in the workplace or social life. This term presumably alludes to the rat's desperate struggle for survival. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]Source: www.yourdictionary.com...
likely gave rise to the term. However, it literally derives from the habit of rats of finding and maintaining covert
foragingForaging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavior of animals in response to the environment in which the animal lives. Foraging theory considers the foraging behavior of animals in reference to the payoff that an animal obtains from different foraging options...
routes.
Rat running is a controversial practice in driving. Though prevention or enforcement of legal restriction on public roadways, even residential side streets, is difficult, the practice is widely opposed by homeowners on the affected streets, as it is viewed as a disturbance of their peace, and has been known to affect real estate values in some markets, even though these same homeowners may themselves be a rat runner in another neighbourhood on
their commute.
In some neighborhoods, rat running has been fought by installing various traffic calming devices, including
all-way stopAn all-way stop is an intersection system used predominantly in the United States of America, Canada and South Africa where traffic approaching it from all directions is required to stop before proceeding through the intersection...
s,
speed humpA speed hump is a rounded traffic calming device used to reduce vehicle speed and volume on residential streets. Humps are placed across the road to slow traffic and are often installed in a series of several humps in order to prevent cars from speeding before and after the hump...
s,
traffic circleA traffic circle is one of several types of circular intersections. Traffic is normally allowed to go in one direction only around a central island. In the absence of signs or signal control, traffic entering a circle has the right-of-way, although many circles give right-of-way to the primary...
s, and
rumble stripRumble strips are a road safety feature that alert drivers to potential danger by causing a tactile vibration and audible rumbling, transmitted through the wheels into the car body...
s, making some neighborhood streets one way, or by blocking off certain intersections. Other places, including
Montgomery County, MarylandMontgomery County of the U.S. state of Maryland is situated just north of Washington, D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the nation, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years old who hold a post-graduate degree. The county seat and largest...
, have altogether banned turning on certain streets during rush hour in order to prevent legal rat running.
Some motorists are protective of their own rat runs, keeping them secret in order to prevent others from learning their tricks and clogging up the roads they routinely use.
Side street usage
Motorists familiar with an area sometimes use
side streets or other smaller roads that run in the same direction as the main road along a parallel route. These locals generally know the streets on which they are traveling and the pros and cons of making use of these streets as an alternative to the main road.
Red light avoidance
In some cases, motorists avoid stopping at a
red lightRed light may refer to:* Red Light, a 1949 crime film* Red light , a light initially used in photographic darkrooms* Red Light , a sublabel of Tunnel Records* Red light , a traffic light that means 'stop'...
by turning right onto a side street or into a parking lot before reaching the red light, continuing down the parking lot or side street, and turning left at the cross street the motorist is approaching (typically, this turn is controlled only by a stop or yield sign). Since the light was red on the main road, it is now green facing the cross street, allowing a right again and continuing the trip.
Waiting at other red lights can be avoided by
turning right on redRight turn on red, or simply right on red, is a principle of law permitting vehicles at a traffic light showing a red signal to turn right when the way is clear, in a country with right-hand traffic.-North America:...
, making a U-turn, and then turning right again back onto the street in which the motorist was traveling. A motorist who was planning a left turn may be able to proceed sooner by making this right and U-turn, and then going straight through a green light.
With
right turns being allowed on redRight turn on red, or simply right on red, is a principle of law permitting vehicles at a traffic light showing a red signal to turn right when the way is clear, in a country with right-hand traffic.-North America:...
at many intersections in some places, many rat runs are possible by taking advantage of this ability. Though a right turn on red may be difficult onto a busy street that has a green light even where permitted, an unobstructed right turn can be made when traffic making the opposing left turn has a green arrow. Motorists familiar with the intersection's light cycle order may be able to time their moves.
Traffic jam avoidance
Some motorists exit and enter a freeway at the same exit to "cut in front of" other vehicles in a jam, or use temporary lanes designated for exiting and merging to pass stalled traffic.
Some large streets have parallel small residential streets separated only by a small median, where homeowners park their vehicles. These sections may be used to bypass traffic jams.
Preventing rat running
Some motorists refrain from rat running as a matter of general courtesy. Others feel it is their right to drive anywhere in the public domain, even on a street intended only for residents and their visitors. Often, when a major event that draws a large volume of traffic takes place, local police have been known to monitor or block such secondary roads to prevent motorists from the event crowd from using such streets to avoid the traffic.
Since the 2000s, a number of U.S. states, including the states of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
and
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
and other smaller jurisdictions, and some parts of the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
have passed or attempted to pass laws restricting rat-running in certain marked communities as a method of maintaining neighborhood peace and privacy for area residents. Though signs clearly mark areas where rat-running is prohibited, law enforcement agencies in these areas have reported difficulty in enforcing such laws, and there have been no notable court cases to date.
Other places have installed physical measures to prevent rat running, such as traffic calming devices and barriers that completely block traffic along routes where rat running is tempting. The city of Berkeley, CA has one of the more extensive efforts in this regard, with dozens of concrete barriers set up citywide to block rat run shortcuts (while still allowing bicycle travel) .
In
Northern VirginiaNorthern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the U.S. state of Virginia in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
, rat running is discouraged by the construction of
dead end streetDead End Street is a 1982 film directed by Yaky Yosha. Inspired by a true story, it is about a young prostitute who participated in a documentary about her efforts to abandon the streets, only to commit suicide hours before the movie was to be broadcast....
s, communities with no outlet, and confusing winding roads, thereby making navigation through the neighborhoods by outsiders more difficult and lengthy.