There you are, driving along, when all of a sudden — a sea of tail lights appears in front of you, and you're completely stuck. I call it flashjam. And while I'm sitting there immobilized, I comfort myself by chanting an oft repeated mantra: "Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I know you feel our pain."

How much time and money does it cost while we're all sitting there pumping emissions at each other? Millions, I'm sure. The scenario sounds random and unpreventable, but it isn't. Don't we have 21st century technology to deal with this? It's not rocket science. We've done the human genome, why can't we manage the daily traffic?

So exactly what are we doing about it?

We can't wait thinking rail is our savior. Given these daily flashjams, in my pain I need to speak out and make some congestion suggestions.

UNDERSTANDING OUR TRAFFIC FLOW

Cracking the jams is not black magic. We should use video, drones, sensors and metering to analyze where the choke points are, and then do simulations. We should do this for every road and intersection to determine and address the root cause of every jam.

LANE MANAGEMENT

Yes, we can manage our traffic. We can charge automated tolls on important routes. When traffic is heavy, the price goes up; when traffic is light, the price goes down. We can make them payable on the fly by smartcard and cell phone. We can charge for entry into the Central Business District, as in London, Stockholm and other cities. We can send advisories and alternative route suggestions by programmable road signs, e-mail, messaging, telephone and radio.

INTELLIGENT SIGNALS

It's maddening to sit waiting at a light when there's no cross traffic. What a waste. This is completely preventable. Using video cameras and sensors, our traffic lights can be programmed to measure cross traffic so no one ever waits at a light unnecessarily.

MAKE THE BUSES GREAT

Bus deployments should be regularly adjusted to meet the market. Buses should accept fares by smartcard and cell phone and should have the comforts of TV and wireless. They should be frequent and express and should have dedicated lanes and go where cars can't. They can use GPS and radio "signal preemption" to turn the traffic lights green when the bus is full, as in Calgary, Alberta; Houston; Bellingham, Wash.; Eugene, Ore.; Boise, Idaho; and Syracuse, N.Y. They can tell us when the next bus is coming by display and cell phone, as in Portland, Ore. There should be a free daytime bus loop in the central business district. Bus passes should be cheaper for companies that give them to employees.

DON'T GET IN THE WAY

Regular driver education can help us remember that the left lane is reserved for passing, and it can avoid the jams that come with a little rain or gawking or just bad driving. HPD could complete all-day accident investigations much more quickly with video. Well-designed road signs and markings can avoid confusion and bunch-up. Through-street parking, loading zones and taxi stands, all sources of abuse, should be more strictly regulated. All this will help.

Congestion is eating us alive. It's paralyzing our city, and it should be job one for our mayor. Let's use the best technology and the best thinking.