Road Sage: Lots of Red Lights

Columnist Steve Hymon devotes his Monday Road Sage column to the annoying issue of why so few traffic lights seems to be timed correctly:

Relatively few cities in the region have state-of-the-art technology when it comes to traffic signals, according to several transportation engineers I spoke with recently. Even the city of Los Angeles -- the widely acknowledged leader in advanced traffic signals -- is undergoing a $150-million upgrade to its lights. Both L.A. and Orange counties are making big pushes to help dozens of cities get their lights in sync, with the emphasis on big arterials that cross cities. The O.C., for example, is syncing up Euclid Street, which in 15 miles crosses six cities and four freeways.

Comments

[Michael Madden]

A simple timing won't work because we have very heavy traffic everywhere in LA/OC/San Diego....what we need is the computerized traffic control that effectively monitors the traffic flow by constantly adjusting the traffic light timing to get the overall traffic moving as much as possible.

[Pasadena Mike]

You are correct in mentioning the lack of sync issues in Pasadena. For years I have wondered about how the lights will change red as you approach, especially when traffic is lighter.
Try this, turn right anywhere in the city of Pasadena, the next light will turn red in your face. It happens so often, it is uncanny.

[Marcotico]

Hey Perks,

Since you're blogging at 8:12am you probably do, in fact, do your job as ineptly as traffic planners. Congrats.

[JP]

In Irvine, you're lucky if you can make it past more than one light at a time. Moreover, you wait at reds for ridiculously LONG times.

It's even worse when you're stuck at a protected left turn arrow (and south OC is obsessed with protected left turn pockets).

[perks]

I pass through precisely 25 traffic lights on my drive in to work. This is all on MAJOR thoroughfares, in the general direction of commuting traffic.

A couple weeks ago I started keeping track, and discovered that 18-22 of them are red if I drive the speed limit. To my surprise, I discovered that if I drive 15-20 mph over the speed limit, I only hit a dozen or so red lights.

In essence, the City of Los Angeles is ENCOURAGING me to speed. Way to go, traffic planners. I wish I could get away with doing my job as ineptly as you do yours.

[lynn b.]

Los Angelenos don't actually stop for red lights. Check out my photographic record of over 700 of your neighbors flouting the rules of the road: http://latraffic.blogspot.com/

[Tom A.]

It's about bloody time! This is easily one of my top three pet peeves overall, not just driving-related. Save gas, save time, reduce gridlock, what's not to love?

[Cary]

Wow, If Los Angeles is the acknowledged leaderin advanced traffic signals, then the rest of the country is screwed! I've seen podunk towns in the middle of nowhere have more left turn signals and timed intersections than all of LA.

I find it so ironic in the town that worships the all mighty car that the city of LA is spending more money installing crosswalk countdown times for pedestrians than on timing intersections and left hand turn signals.

Then again those counters help countless drivers get through intersections by speeding up before they hit zero.