Comment Distributed, cooperative method (Score 1) 273
You can't limit the exit queue by having to check for anything, even a plate's last character.
The only realistic way to do this is to have the "algorithm" parallelized and distributed among all the participants.
Instead of enforcing some kind of single point of exodus regulation, you have each individual vehicle calculate the best time for leaving.
It works like this: you watch the line. If its too long (for you) then don't get in line.
With cooperation and with the diversity of people, you could in theory then allow for some people who need to get out quickly, with the cooperation of the people who don't need to get out quickly who will cooperatively not get in line and do something else for a while.
This is probably what's already happening.
You could possibly create a mobile app that allows people to voluntarily enter the time they wish to leave, at which point the app would estimate based on past exodus statistics how long it will take to exit at that time. The wait time would change as more people entered their desired exit time. You could then change your exit time if the wait time becomes too long for you. This might create a better equilibrium than just "eyeballing the line" at the time of exodus.
Thus, its completely voluntary, and would make no negative difference to anybody not using the app (and might make things better, if anything). There's no checking cars at exodus time.