Is it really that hard to time traffic lights to match the speed limit?

[seemunkee]

Since I used up my metro benefits for the month and traffic is going to be light I'm driving into work this week. I take one of the major roads in the area, Rockville pike/Wisconsin Ave, and the speed limit is 35mph. If I drive 35 two things happen. First I will be passed by everyone and act like a moving roadblock, second I will hit every damn red light. However if I drive 55-60 I can make it almost the entire way without hitting a red light.
I have found this to be true on another major thoroughfares where the speed limit out by me starts at 50 and as I head in town it drops multiple times until it is at 35, but the lights are timed for 60-50.

[NJmaverick]

1. There is so much room for improvement when it comes to traffic signals

yet few towns, counties or cities bother to do anything. After all what sort of benefits are there to reducing gas consumption, pollution and saving people time and aggravation?

[Crazy Dave]

3. I've worked for a traffic engineering company before

It's the arrogance of the engineers that design and time the systems that is the major problem in my town. If the computer models and they say their timing is right then it doesn't matter what is really happening on the streets. It's always blamed on people just not knowing how to drive. Another engineer said you do not make a light turn red unless there are cars that need to be stopped. Example, you are waiting at a light and there's about two dozen cars behind you with more backing up, you see the next light ahead, half a block away green with no traffic going through, your light turns green and you and the surge move to that green light and immediately it turns red to stop the herd and back it up further.

[baldguy]

2. That would decrease the revenue municipalities get from traffic tickets.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

8. That is my first thought as well. Always about a dollar bill.

Always.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. They can't time it in both directions.

[seemunkee]

6. I'm going with the flow in the AM

Heading into town.
They have mananged it on 16th street in DC. The one minor problem there is that they have timed it for exactly the speed limit. If cars have turned onto the road they will not have time to start up and clear the backup before the wave released from the previous light catches up to them.

[conscious evolution]

12. Yes they can

Many years ago in my hometown they actually did it.They actually managed to synch the lights on a major thoroughfare both ways.
Of course,when the next power outage hit everything reverted back to normal.Stop go Rinse lather repeat.

[TZ]

5. I've seen that.

I suspect if they did time it to 35 miles per hour the backups on 355 would be much worse, actually.

[seemunkee]

7. You mean like on Sat when everyone is out shopping?

If it was timed for 35-40 people would learn not to speed(too much) or they will end up sitting at the next light. Look at 16th street. It doesn't take long to figure out that if you take off quick and race ahead you will just have to stop and wait while the traffic that you tried to leave behind catches up to you.

[ccinamon]

9. i think they mis-time lights on purpose,

so that you waste gas, have to buy more, and the city gets more money in taxes from higher volume sales of gasoline...though I can see where the "traffic engineers" think they know how people drive, when they really don't...book learning versus reality..reality is usually waaaaayyyy different than what you learn in the books...

[Critters2]

10. You're driving 60 in a 35?

Asshole.

[seemunkee]

11. along with everyone else.