Ask me about being a Traffic Engineer!

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grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Here are two awesome on-ramps.

Basically if you're exiting the Allen Parkway onto I-45, they made sure to include a pucker-zone on both the north and southbound entrance ramps. You round the northbound entrance (it's a 30 MPH ramp in a sports-car, and its blind) and you're thrown onto another ramp that joins 45, where the traffic is already doing 50. You can't see poo poo until you've already began merging so that makes it even more fun. The southbound isn't as bad sight-wise (although still bad), but you get tossed into a 60 MPH zone's left-lane, which during non-peak hours, is actually moving about that fast.

Good times. At least I-10 is awesome now.

Thanks so much for all of the useful information you've posted in this thread. It's nice to see someone so well versed in their profession teaching others about something relevant to their everyday life.

grillster fucked around with this message at 08:32 on Aug 3, 2009

# ¿ Aug 3, 2009 08:29

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 04:57

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Here's an old Texas tradition. I've never really seen these outside of smaller country towns but I can't imagine they're anything but a hazard, especially if you add driver stupidity and impaired drivers into the mix. Basically, since the picture is somewhat of poor quality, they built the highway between two bi-directional roads. Both directions of traffic on the road must yield to the freeway traffic coming off the highway, and the oncoming traffic has to yield to the traffic entering the ramp.

If the guy in the oncoming lane misses the yield sign then you're looking at a severe head-on collision. That's made worse by the fact that you have almost no real maneuvering room because you're shooting directly on to a narrow two lane road from an angle. They're quite scary but fortunately I haven't run into any newer roads designed like that.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2009 07:14

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Dude, this thread has been a fantastic read. I caught myself rubbernecking at a crew working on some signals down the road from me a few days ago.

Do you have any experience in evacuation planning? If so, how would you evacuate a city like New Orleans?

# ¿ Aug 29, 2009 07:04

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Lately I've been noticing how cheap the road development is in my area. Some of the heavily-traveled, two-lane roads have been widened in parts with asphalt on what seems like no reinforcement at all. Around the corner from me, there's a 25 MPH S-curve which, along with the cheap asphalt, throws you toward the edge of the road from both approaches.

I would expect this in a part of town that couldn't afford the roads, but this is a pretty well established upper-middle-class suburb. :smugissar:

Is it common for districts to pick the lowest bidder, even those with bad reputations?

Is it normal for traffic lights to have longer signals while it's wet out or raining?

# ¿ Feb 12, 2010 04:58

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Cichlidae posted:

Nope, I've never heard of that. Signal controllers are very very dumb, and while they can store a variety of timing plans, the only inputs a controller gets are vehicle detectors, sync pulses from the master controller, preemption calls, and electricity. There are in-pavement moisture and temperature sensors available, but it would cost an awful lot to put them at every signal.

It's assumed that people drive slower when it rains, anyway. Even if we say they're going the same speed, that max decel rate we design for (11.4 fps^2) equates to a friction coefficient of about .35, which, according to the 1984 Green Book, is what you'd find with bad tires on wet pavement. So, in a sense, it's already taken into account.

Oh, they definitely do drive a lot slower when it rains.

What about the affect of water gathering on a sensor? Would it cause it to trip and max out the green time for that approach?

# ¿ Feb 12, 2010 09:02

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

grnberet2b posted:

I guess it depends on where you are (this instance is in Kyle, TX). I've always liked them in the rural areas, I can exit early, and go down the "wrong" frontage road if I need to rather than drive in circles. The only downside is when people don't signal that they're leaving, or entering, the highway.

I bet slightly to the right of the camera car is one of these twisty on-ramps.

Kick it in the nuts else you gonna die.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2010 16:35

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Cichlidaie, your thread has kicked a phenomenal amount of rear end from day one.

What is your opinion on super high speed rail? What, in your opinion, would it take for citizens of a country of this size to reap the benefits of efficient high speed travel?

# ¿ Nov 1, 2011 03:04

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

FISHMANPET posted:

Speaking of stupid drivers, has this been posted here before?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV2rdGX4JYc

Is that Houston? Of course it's Houston. The funny thing is that people still drive on the tracks and those that get caught on tape just happen to get hit by the train.

They did make it a hassle to take a left. You kinda have to go right, right, and then right again to cross. Not that laziness is an excuse... but those trains aren't exactly not hard to see.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2012 07:22

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

exo posted:

Hook turn?

(reverse the directions for US usage)

Some of the rail runs through parts of town with a lot of one-way streets. Main street runs next to the rail for about four miles. A few right-to-left crossings don't have left turn signals. If you want to turn left, you pass your street, hang the next right, hang another right to back track, and then hang a right on to your destination street to pass over the tracks and where you were a moment before.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2012 09:55

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

exo posted:

Hook turns are only used when turning across the rails, not crossing them full stop. In your example you would travel in the right hand lane, enter the intersection and line up perpendicular to the right-to-left traffic waiting to cross, and then turn when that queuing traffic receives a green signal.

I'm not talking about hook turns at all. I'm talking about having to actually make three right turns.

# ¿ Feb 29, 2012 11:32

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

MrBling posted:

Tangentially related the traffic engineering, but I really wish that the roadworks crews that end up working on these things would pay more attention to where they dig.

Nothing like straight up killing broadband and tv for large parts of the country because some idiot in a giant machine didn't pay attention to where the fibre runs are laid down.

...

Interesting. Do you have a link to an article for this?

# ¿ Mar 24, 2012 02:14

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Condition light approach lighting. Indications for an intersection that is blind around the corner from the driver's perspective.

Say that you're approaching a bend, and just beyond that bend is a controlled by signal intersection. As the driver, you'd like to know the status of the intersection, ideally with some sort simple visual and logical cues.

An auxiliary light may be positioned into the perspective of the oncoming driver, which gives them a visual warning, but how do you intuitively connect that light to its approach?

Are there any real reasons why traffic light countdown tickers are not a number one priority? With an understanding of the status of the signal, a driver can more efficiently use his vehicle.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2012 07:15

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Thanks for attending my question.

There has to be a way to encourage drivers to use their vehicles more efficiently while driving through controlled areas. Roundabouts are excellent at this but the applications are as limited as the funds required to retrofit.

We all use fossil fuel, and that's inevitable for the relevant future. I'm interested in what measures may be applied, from existing ideas or brainstorm sessions, toward making the consumption less brash.

Where I come from it's a light-to-light race.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2012 07:59

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

I like these nifty flashing green lights that indicate the imminent transition to the next phase.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-VihVO-p18

grillster fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Apr 25, 2012

# ¿ Apr 25, 2012 16:25

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

So, will you be designing roads five years from now, or are you planning on taking on the challenge of using your brain for the next generation of carriage?

# ¿ May 3, 2012 08:16

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Because I respect your contribution of sharing incredibly relevant information to us, the public: keep your cards out of the eye of speculation.

I have been reading your thread since its inception. Thank you.

# ¿ May 27, 2012 03:53

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Ok, that looks blowable. Do they actually patrol it?

Think of the children, and their 102 HP stick shift cars.

(San Fran sign)

grillster fucked around with this message at 06:30 on Jun 2, 2012

# ¿ Jun 2, 2012 06:13

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

So passive measures succeed in slowing traffic.

Trees, snake medians, brickways...

What else?

# ¿ Aug 10, 2012 03:25

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

From a cost to retrofit perspective, installation of indented curbs seems like the way to go. Mini roundabouts maybe next if they don't go crazy on the signs. Hell even 10 replacement mini roundabouts for each stop sign in a medium size neighborhood should be a great way to introduce the concepts. Audience will be recurring as the residents commute. Fewer outsiders.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2012 05:02

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

I like how some departments go to flash mode during the early morning. I bet that saves 50% in power going to the signals that are flashing. I believe they just shut the ped signals down too.

Makes driving way more efficient at night if you plan your route through a bunch of yellow flashers.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2012 20:11

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Reducing unnecessary stopping, waiting and driving away means less energy used driving. A car cruising through an intersection at 40 MPH at 3 AM put up against the same car slowing to wait for a signal will have covered the same distance more efficiently.

Sounds good to me:
Reduction in noise from cars reacting to the light
Time not used waiting by the driver
Less electricity used, even if perceived as small on a local scale

# ¿ Aug 14, 2012 00:45

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

If the signalized intersection is completely dark it should be treated as an all way stop sign in the US.

# ¿ Aug 14, 2012 15:32

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Baronjutter posted:

Can we talk about bike lanes?

There's some controversy in my city over bike lanes and bike lane design. Some people are saying any sort of bike lanes are stupid, wasteful, and some how un-safe. other people are saying that the current system of having bike lanes as part of the road separated by a white line is the way to go. Others call for full separation by a curb or physical barriers.

What are peoples thoughts on bike lane design?

I prefer painted routes that run on a street parallel to major thoroughfares rather than near the traffic. When I ride in painted bike lanes that route me down major roads, I may be exposed to more opportunity to for a chance of a collision and more pollution.

Paths that use barriers to separate different types of traffic are very nice, but I don't see them used often. Yield issues exist with inattentive drivers turning across parallel bike lanes.

Some major routes for both types of traffic, like W. Parmer in this example, could benefit from curbs and barriers. Traffic on Parmer usually cruises around 55mph.

Bike Route View
Google Overhead View

I honestly prefer completely separate paths that follow other infrastructure, like bayous, rail, or power lines. Those are far more enjoyable. I'll take either that or a neighborhood route any day over something like Parmer, but a substantial number of cyclist commuters use that route because there aren't many convenient alternatives.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2012 22:56

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

What would you do to fix the West Parmer bike route?

# ¿ Aug 25, 2012 07:34

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Yep, Austin. What we really need is a profound rail system, like yesterday. This place has way too much beauty to cover in car pollution.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2012 00:27

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

You put those Photoshop (subway planning in layers) and photography skills on your resume, right?

drat, and I was going to give you a hard time about giving little notice to the Parmer bike route post.

I did ride that the other day... it's long, and it's direct, but it could be better.

Also the Texas 45 toll road 85 mph speed limit signs are real, and the road's undriven surface cuts through the hilly terrain like a gentle thread of dark maroon high speed design standards.

e-
What do you know about crowd-sourcing traffic data? Is volume data collected by mobile service providers acquired by design firms during the planning process of a project?

grillster fucked around with this message at 03:52 on Sep 13, 2012

# ¿ Sep 13, 2012 03:49

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

I think what he said was that a certain direction will have a permissive left turn indicated by a flashing yellow arrow. Straight-through traffic traveling through that intersection will be red. Opposite the intersection, straight through traffic is permitted and the left turn lane is protected.

It sounds to me just like the system they use in Austin, only in Austin they use green balls on the left turn lane signal that are only visible in the immediate vicinity of the turn lane, and the 5-light unit is mounted over the turn lane. See this intersection.

Many of the traffic lights in Austin go to flashing yellow/red at night anyway, which means one can blaze through the city at 4 am without ever being stuck at a light for no reason.

edit: many blaze through the city at all hours of the day which fantastically explains the occasionally uber calm traffic

grillster fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Sep 22, 2012

# ¿ Sep 22, 2012 04:52

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

There's the possibility these grates never hit the scrap yards on their way back to replacing stolen grates.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2012 23:11

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Near sighted transportation project implementations resulting from contractor ignorance, nepotism, lack of review or political motives burden citizens throughout the lifespan of the design. Inefficient designs waste time and money, and those of us who understand good infrastructure standards must communicate the importance back to the top.

One of these days I'll do a write-up on the northwest Houston area, because the following run rampant there:

Many neighborhoods still use stop signs to control traffic speed (hello noise, pollution, etc)
As of 2012, many road construction projects still use incandescent lighting in their traffic signals. I'd say it's at 99% incandescent (pulled out of the air) in most northwest municipalities, minus a few state maintained roads.
Green ball lefts are very rare
Excessively dangerous construction zones
Bicycling facilities do not go beyond a recreational trail or two
Round-abouts are unheard of
Light timing is often timer-based, and no municipality in the area has adopted the flashing method for periods of low volume (such as early morning)
Set speed limits don't match the flow of traffic. Many roads see traffic flow of 10 mph greater than the limit

It could go on, and on, and on. Far from simply a list of complaints, what this intends to point out is the lack of proactive design by the city municipalities to deal with the constantly growing Houston area. So much potential in improving life for everyone goes to waste with each half-rear end roadworks project that completes. With no real viable means of alternate transport, the citizens of the suburbs must live with sub-standard practices applied by a disconnected management.

Even switching to LED lighting and flashing many intersections at night would save energy and allow the city to shift money toward more creative improvements. It's simply a practical application of technology and standards for the better.

grillster fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Dec 23, 2012

# ¿ Dec 23, 2012 06:08

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

So, if I understand, the point of the rat light is to help law enforcement bust red light runners?

I've seen only the traditional hoods gapped at the bottom. I always thought it was designed that way to prevent snow accumulation, with the side effect of allowing opposing traffic to have a glance at the signal.

I'd like to see countdown timers, just like those used for crosswalks, used for green time. Downtown Houston's crosswalks use them and many drivers seem to use them as a cheat sheet to modulate their pace through the green waves.

Volmarias posted:

No sirree, that there suggestion smacks of SOCIALISM! We'll do it the way God intended, thank you very much!

Propaganda from propaganda.

I bet, setting fear of change aside, even simple improvements would improve life. I don't even believe it's oppression, just apathy.

grillster fucked around with this message at 15:12 on Dec 23, 2012

# ¿ Dec 23, 2012 15:03

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Perhaps the countdown timer could display the symbol for 'infinity' until a side street is triggered, then begin counting in the same way some ped signals switch from infinite white walking man to flashing hand.

To me the rat lights, if used for enforcement, speak of finding a solution rather than addressing the issue. Around these neighborhoods where stop signs are used liberally, police like to sit back and pull over community residents during rush hour. To me, when the intersection is clear, it makes no sense to waste the energy. I agree with you on the statement of environmental quality. As I type this, I can hear vehicles briskly accelerate away from the four way stop (only to halt again two blocks later).

It's a misallocation of finite resources that's gotta be addressed using tact and experience.

I'm going to ask you to guess for me four ballpark figures, if you don't mind. I'd like a real world idea of the cost of one set of speed humps, a brick pattern section, speed control island, and baby round about for a crowned concrete street 3 cars wide. These are all ideas I've learned from your thread as options for speed control.

And the cost of removing a stop sign (I'm surprised a vigilante hasn't rednecked them from the ground already).

edit: I would like to point out that knowing the status of the signal ahead allows me to control my speed more efficiently. Just as helpful is even the smallest view of the cross traffic signal.

grillster fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Dec 23, 2012

# ¿ Dec 23, 2012 16:48

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Jonnty posted:

How does this not end up being stupidly dangerous?

Why would you assume it is "stupidly dangerous"?

I do it all the time to avoid stopping at a light too early.

Varance posted:

Here's a better shot of a blue rat light.

In the image you posted, is that red light an LED model with a lens on top?

grillster fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Dec 23, 2012

# ¿ Dec 23, 2012 21:42

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Cichlidae posted:

It switches instantly, assuming the phase is maxed out. There is no time for countdown.

Is this a limitation of standard hardware? I've seen systems that a system can detect the presence of a car, and queue a changeover when it next fits into the pattern (otherwise, while without any traffic the side street is skipped). So, that also tells me logically it's possible to give drivers on the main drag an infinity symbol with a digital sign, then begin a countdown when the controller queues up a side street.

If this digital signage hardware doesn't exist, I understand, but it's not quite a technical challenge to a space voyaging species.

quote:

A set of speed bumps is a couple grand, plus a tremendous amount of liability when someone inevitably breaks his neck driving over them at speed.

A brick pattern section is best done when the pavement is re-done. That'll run you $20/square foot.

A speed control island can be done cheaply (and poorly) for a hundred bucks, but you'd want a better one for a couple thou. Maintenance costs will be high.

A mini roundabout is going to cost at least ten thousand, probably more like twenty.

And removing a sign is $50, at most. You can't just get rid of one once it's in, though; you need to put up temporary signs telling people that cross traffic does not stop, new traffic pattern ahead, etc.

Awesome, that's good information. Would humps or bubbles run about the same as bumps? I imagine temporary cautionary signs don't cost much to rent from a subcontractor. Surely a court wouldn't find a hump at fault due to a driver's negligence.

quote:

It's helpful to most people, but it is a tremendous liability for us. If someone is approaching at high speed, and sees the other (green) signal, they could run through the light and cause a fatality.

Believe me, I'm aware that it would save time, fuel, and money. I'm all in favor of uniform 3-second yellows with countdown. I'm in favor of yellow-red during the red clearance interval (again, with countdown) to let you know to get in gear before it turns green. These are fixed intervals. When a phase is green, though, there is no telling how long it will last, and I'd much rather give people no extra information than give them something that could turn out to be wrong.

I appreciate your answers but the reasons against such measures strike me as counterproductive. If we're designing for the lowest common denominator, then we'll at best be stuck with systems designed which are "okay" and inefficient. Such practices have already shown to be sub-par, but in place, while innovative ideas take the back seat. I imagine lack of experience is why roundabouts aren't common here, but at the same time without roundabouts to practice on, it's never going to get any better. I did see your post on that new roundabout a few pages back and I hope to see more like it.

What about those incandescent bulbs? Would it be a contractor who is responsible for replacements?

I also like the idea of the extra yellow. What can be done to trial such a feature?

China is imminently opening a new high speed bullet train line, with plans to double their high speed passenger rail infrastructure by 2020. Here, civic leaders seem to be afraid to get anything bold done and it's having a tremendous impact on community well-being. I'd really like to see leaps in progress toward infrastructure improvements. Any time I see an estimate for urban rail in Houston I see dates fifteen years out. I know we're capable of being quite a bit more adventurous on a grander scale, and we've got to see the practicality in it and apply what we already know as a collective.

Houstonions should really begin to concern themselves with the air quality, especially as the suburbs continue to reach further into forested areas.

I uploaded a video to Vimeo of a road project local to Houston. The very reason for the Spring Cypress upgrade is to handle the sheer bulk of suburban traffic that travels the road every day. I've seen worse construction projects, but my expectations ("your tax dollars at work!") are obviously very high. Runtime is about thirteen minutes of driving. Welcome to your virtual suburban Texas tour.

grillster fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Dec 23, 2012

# ¿ Dec 23, 2012 23:34

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Cichlidae posted:

It's not a technical challenge. Just think about it this way. Let's say you're in the artery through phase, which is the most common phase, and is green 95% of the time. Your signal system has no idea when another car will come in. Since the phase has already exhausted its max green time, the signal is just sitting in wait for another phase to be called. As soon as the first car rolls over the side street loops, the artery turns yellow. There's nowhere to put a countdown in there, because the controller has no idea when a car might arrive. The only time it will work is where the phases are fixed-time.

I understand what you're saying: you're speaking about systems that don't talk to one-another or are robustly aware of the movement of packs of cars. I bet it can be done with advanced enough traffic system networking technology.

quote:

For better or for worse, the days of building our infrastructure are long in the past. The red tape is ten times deeper than it was three decades ago. Hell, just to re-paint pavement markings, I have to go through 100 pages of paperwork, get an environmental review, federal review, bicycle and pedestrian review, historical properties and viewshed review... Now toss in some right-of-way acquisition, and you've got a nightmare on your hands.

Our apathy in making our infrastructure more efficient will affect those who inherit our systems.

Varance posted:

As an addendum to high speed rail, you're screwed if you ever have to deal with CSX. That alone will make a project a non-starter, as they don't want passenger on their rails outside of what little Amtrak service they have to allow to get pork from DC lawmakers. The only way to get anything onto their rails, commuter or high-speed, is to outright buy their tracks for hundreds of millions of dollars. Oh, and you still have to let them use the tracks as part of their terms. To hell with CSX!

That right there is why Florida doesn't have a robust commuter network. All of the useful rails are CSX, save the line down the east coast owned by FECR (and that has commuter in Miami and a forthcoming Miami to Orlando passenger service). Everything's designed and ready to go... but we don't have billions of dollars to buy CSX's tracks.

They'll charge ridiculous prices for obscenely long trips because they have apparently taken the stance of stagnation in an ever more demanding environment.

Any private entity that takes the initiative to deal with the obvious challenges presented by laying new rail, and does it in a respectable amount of time on their own built tracks, and operates it efficiently will be the nail in the coffin for Amtrak.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2012 02:44

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Good. Any new passenger rail projects are a step in the right direction. Time is valuable. Get people going places fast.

grover posted:

I'd immediately let off the gas and coast like a hypermiler if I knew the light would stay red. In fact, I do this now for long-cycle lights and where there's a bunch of traffic backed up that clearly isn't going anywhere regardless of what the light does.

Simply a waste of time and gas to do this when the light's going to turn back green, though, and you risk missing the green entirely and getting stuck when it turns back red. The trick is gauging whether the light's gonna stay red or turn green. Which would be a lot easier if there was some indication of timing.

"" Which would be a lot easier if there was some indication of timing.

Nailed it to the sky.

As for preemption, though. Compared to the city, the constant demand for preemption in the suburbs follows the density. I think that should be considered--the demand for preemption--when designing high volume arterials. You'd expect the signals controlling roads converging on a medical district a prime candidate for studying preemptive activity. An arterial between two hospital distrcits, with neighborhoods connecting to it, will naturally have different emergency vehicle patterns.

grillster fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Dec 24, 2012

# ¿ Dec 24, 2012 06:39

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

# ¿ Dec 27, 2012 06:48

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Hedera Helix posted:

"Telescoping" seems almost like a polite euphemism for that...

"Route conflict"

# ¿ Dec 27, 2012 19:15

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

Some say that roadway was designed for optimal low flying helicopter clearance

# ¿ Jan 5, 2013 02:09

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

What 's the hold up on using location records held by service providers collected from mobile devices to help signaling systems accurately accommodate real world traffic?

# ¿ Jan 16, 2013 21:50

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 04:57

grillster: Dec 25, 2004

A few posts back I commented about a stretch of construction in the Northwest Houston suburbs contracted out to a company responsible for two different segments of the road improvement. My concerns were of the construction zone safety, uncontained construction waste, failure to adequately accommodate rush hour volumes (leading to gridlock) and durability of the road improvements as a whole. Later that week I spoke with a manager at the local precinct traffic office for the better part of a cup of coffee; I was confident the person was understanding of my concerns, but manifestations of change have yet to occur.

The residents of that area are, frankly, being ripped off. One only has to drive fifteen minutes away to Cypress-Rosehill Road to understand this. Only a few years ago was that road ripped up and new concrete laid down, and the traffic has destroyed the alignment of the new concrete sections. I suspect using a minimal road bed thickness for a high volume road is part of the problem.

Back at Spring Cypress, none of the safety or environmental concerns were ever addressed. Right turns out of neighborhoods still require drivers to make sure both traffic lanes are clear. Sometimes you can drive a few meters down the new unopened section to the next opening to hang a right, allowing yourself to merge in more parallel to traffic, but the company sometimes deliberately blocks these shortcuts with their heavy equipment. They successfully knocked over a school zone sign weeks ago and haven't bothered to re-align it. Traffic signal timing still hasn't been addressed.

I've also had the opportunity to chat recently with a local office responsible for signal coordination. For years the traffic signal system as a whole in a particular precinct of Houston has gotten progressively worse as volumes steadily increase due to development. I called the number on the side of a controller box to suggest some signal timing improvements. Apparently this number rings a different office than where the online form deposits.

Competent and keeping the power on, at best, but these guys don't even use LEDs and don't hesitate to put a four-way stop sign up at the slightest inclination of a dangerous situation. Even the manager I spoke to at the precinct stated that roundabouts were considered a liability to the state, therefore they were hesitant to build them. The man on the other end at the signal office cowered at the end of each of my stern suggestions for signalization improvements.

These people may be busy, but they're giving us the impression that they're powerless to make change for the good and that the perpetual cycling 3 am traffic light makes sense in a world where cheap fuel rules over intelligent design. It's not even something to get mad over; the gross lack of respect for the taxpayer dollar really says it all. I'm confident that the citizens of that area of Houston will eventually tire of such careless development and demand the precinct engineers to fix these issues with the resources they already have. Cheap doesn't mean acceptable, and those making decisions at the precinct only have to turn to The Woodlands to see it done correctly the first time.

edit: Cichlidae you should move down to Houston for a bit and fix this for them

grillster fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Jan 23, 2013

# ¿ Jan 23, 2013 03:38

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