Traffic signal timing

[dbias]

My city's lights are timed pretty well. The city has a well laid out almost perfect grid area in the flat land, downtown area, down by the river. This section is 11 miles long and 2 to 3 miles wide. If you go slightly faster, 38 mph, than the 35 mph speed limit on the main east/west one way avenues (3 to 4 lanes wide each way) you can more often than not go the whole 11 miles and not stop at a red light. Now the hills area to the south is a different story but that is somewhat expected on curves through the hills and different lengths of roads. Our city got a federal grant to upgrade the traffic control system about 10 years ago and it was a wise investment.

 

[ZeeOSix]

The programmer of traffic lights there - Photo Link .

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: grampi
Why they don't have them timed so once you get a green light, all the rest of the signals would be green when you get to them is beyond me.
Wouldn't this mean that traffic going in the opposite direction would be getting lots of red lights instead?

No, they still go red, they are just offset from each other. So you might hit a red at the first light, but then once it goes green, your next light will be red, but change before you arrive to it. Its timed so that if you're going the speed limit, you will make it through the lights clean.

According to this, the only way to accomplish "green wave" in both directions would be to have different speed limits for each direction. Not sure that's feasible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_wave

 

[Snagglefoot]

It’s pretty disappointing. We heard stories of computers using AI to manage traffic flows using data from smart phones to calculate road usage and all, but it was never properly implemented to any great extent. Instead we have simple timers on the lights with no interconnection with the big picture.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: honeeagle
our local traffic guru calls it 'traffic calming' i kid you not.

We have that here. The two-lane (each way) road going into the city got re-striped so it hourglasses down to one lane for 1/4 mile. They want to keep the traffic out in "poor-ville". The pavement's still there; it's just illegal to use it.

And this city got its name from its ports. They call it "Port-land" but get all butt hurt when traffic/ trade/ stuff flows through as designed.

 

[Leo99]

Lights in my town turn red randomly. You just sit there at 1am while the lights turn red, left turn, other turn, then it's your turn. You're the only car on the road. It's like driving up to the light triggers it to turn red.

 

[JHZR2]

Around where I live they’re timed pretty well.

I notice poor timing when driving through Delaware.

Various circumstances can cause it. Can be dangerous.

 

[Rmay635703]

In Wisconsin the primary direction is normally green but the instant a car pulls up even to turn right
The light is red and usually stays red long enough to let one or two cars through.

Because of this behavior you can end up with flash red waves of lights randomly blinking every handful of seconds
Lights under 200ft apart can be different colors and out of sync

Quite stupid

 

[Cujet]

Same trouble in Jupiter, FL. Every light is a mandatory RED. Except late at night, when they remain green all the way to the beach.

Interestingly, they PROMISED to simonize

the lights, so that all the additional lights they installed would not cause additional delays. Sure wish I kept that issue of the local paper with the hollow promise.



What's particularly interesting is to fly my plane over the road at AM rush hour. The 45 minute traffic jam is 100% obviously caused by the timing.

Sorry, but it's intentional.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: MasterSolenoid
If their timed correctly,
A.M. - Timed to get cars quickly INTO the City
P.M. - Timed to get cars quickly OUT of City.

A lot of times driving thru a Suburb, I get stuck for every 'red' signal - it burns me up.
On my way home, I figure I'm intitaled to more 'green' signals.


At my apartment I got to experience this. Lived in the city and commuted to the suburbs.

Never much traffic in my direction, but it wasn't supposed to flow that way either

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Typical in Austin. They hate private cars. Want to move everyone to mass transit or a bicycle. Even when it's 105F outside. Their just nuts....

I hear you loud and clear!
Austin's traffic signals are almost all timed, except for some that are demand controlled on minor secondary thoroughfares. They are timed to let traffic flow on major thoroughfares in specific directions at specific times of the day (rush hours), and they are timed to SLOW TRAFFIC DOWN on these same routes at other times. I know this for a fact even though Austin officials have denied it. On one of the major thoroughfares that I travel on a daily basis (Braker Lane), before 9am they time the lights properly so that traffic is not stopped, and right at 9am the timing changes so that traffic is stopped at 4 out of 5 signals, this is incredibly maddening. I have also witnessed this on Parmer Lane, North Lamar, and Burnet Road but I'm sure they are doing this all over Austin. Downtown is AWFUL!
Also, Austin has gotten stupid with the bike lane thing. Several years ago they re-striped Braker to create bike lanes by narrowing the travel lanes. This is a heavily traveled major thoroughfare that is 6 lanes wide and has a speed limit of 45 mph (most traffic going 50 mph and above) with a LOT of truck traffic. NO bike rider in their right mind would ever use this route, it would be suicidal!
Austin's mass transit system is a mass joke. All they have done is to put thousands of buses (rolling road blocks) on the streets that are carrying less than a half dozen riders each most of the time, exasperating the traffic problem. If they want to fix this traffic impediment they need spend the money to build turn-outs for all the bus stops on all the major thoroughfares. Instead they want to spend billions on trains that can't EVER support themselves and won't do much (if anything) to reduce traffic congestion.
Austin's traffic planners need to get their heads out of their you know whats.

 

[sleddriver]

(Just realized I should have typed 'they're nuts' instead of 'their'.)

Yep the people's republic of Austin is hard-core regressive in so many ways. Like a poor archer, they keep missing the mark turning a deaf ear to common sense yet denying all responsibility. I'm glad I don't live within the city limits nor pay their taxes. It's bad enough just having to go there.

I too find that when I don't drive above the speed limit on 360 in particular, I get nailed at multiple lights. That coupled with many driving while talking, texting, not paying attention at red lights because their face is stuck to their phone, etc. just makes it all the worse. I was stuck behind some tatoo'd idiot a few days ago driving in the left lane, with his phone stuck to his ear, for more than 6 miles, driving 50 when the speed limit is 65mph. I even flashed my brights at him which is something I rarely do period. Talk about wishing I had a 'zapper'...

CapMetro was outed several years ago when an internal memo became public stating that synch'd lights would harm bus ridership levels! Man, did that cause a stink! Made the local talk show programs for quite awhile.

The road restriping for bike lanes is solely to tick some regressive green box, allowing the local pols to pat themselves on their backs. All to join #metoo with Seattle, Portland and others. You'd never see these polls riding CapMetro much less biking to/from work during the heat season from May - Oct. The heat & humidity is lethal down here: If you go straight West from here, once you leave Tx. you'll never re-enter the USA. That's how far South it is.

I've read the expansion 'mobility' plans for Burnet, N/S Lamar, Congress, Riverside, Airport, etc. Just wait until those plans are concreted-in. The howling will be loud & lasting but they'll have voted for it as well.

My plan is to sell my house and move further North to a less congested area. The last year I've been going through all of my stuff clearing & cleaning out the clutter in preparation. My house will sell within a week, at 5.5x what I paid for it decades ago. Once outside of my mandatory electricity monopoly, my electric rates will drop about 28%. Property/school tax outside of Travis County will also drop about 70% (seriously). Cost-of-living here is just ridiculous now as the whole surrounding area is in an 'affordability' crisis. It's also in a congestion crisis, brought upon by it's own making.

It now has all of the problems of a big city with none of the benefits.

/rant

 

[Dave Hess]

Imagine if Austin gets HQ2 for Amazon...

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Imagine if Austin gets HQ2 for Amazon...

Most of the people I know don't want Amazon's HQ2 here in Austin. The high cost of living and traffic congestion are bad enough already. Adding another 50000 jobs is something that we don't need.
The city counsel just approved another sign of the insanity that exists here. They decided to allow the construction of a private MLS stadium with 20000 seats and ONLY 1300 parking spaces (employees, handicapped, and super wealthy will take ALL of them) on city property in an area that doesn't have adequate additional parking available, and very poor road access. The city wanted to put it adjacent to the micky mouse rail transit that we have. They expect mass transit to bring all the fans to the stadium. This is just plain NUTS! Now, I'm not against bringing an MLS team to Austin, or the construction of a new stadium, just WHERE it is that they are putting it. A new sports stadium should NEVER be built ANYWHERE without adequate onsite parking available. IMO this is just common sense. Friends tell me that I should run for city counsel, I just want to get the heck out of here!

 

[sleddriver]

Ah yes...the Amazon gush. Their infatuation reminds me of the judge in Caddyshack groping his putter. This is a huge xxx-dream for them. Why throw tax breaks at such a wealthy firm when AISD needs $$$$, the police force isn't fully staffed and COA can't afford to fix >12 badly-leaking swimming pools?

Makes sense only to them...

Re: MLS. Agreed. Never in favor of it myself. Something just reeked about it from the get go. Who-in-the-world seriously enters into such a deal when the existing parties are fighting and in court? Textbook definition of a "Fool's Errand". Even more Mayor gushing with his putter. He's totally dellusional. Another emerald city boondoggle.

Re: COA's shoo shoo bang. It doesn't even stop @ the domain. WUWT?

Just nuts...and 'Goofy Town'.

 

[SeaJay]

Our lights are timed for traffic patterns from a few decades ago when there were far fewer cars on the road and you could drive faster. Now the reds catch most drivers who are moving slowly in heavy traffic.