The following opinion piece has been instigated by a recent report that we’re going to get a new traffic light (Ramp Meter) on yet one more freeway on-ramp in my immediate region.
These on-ramp lights are said to control the flow of traffic to the freeway to ease congestion. “Stopping cars momentarily at on-ramps can save motorists several minutes per trip because overall freeway congestion is reduced.” I’ve read that studies have shown this!
The first ramp light, called by California as a “ramp meter” went in in 1966 at the intersections of Routes 5 and 14 in northern Los Angeles County. My wild-ass guess is that back in 1966, this was a good idea. Yet now, some 40+ years later, I think they aren’t just ineffective, they’re a hazard of sorts to the street level traffic patterns they add congestion to.
I say that because I sometimes tend to ponder this study while watching traffic backup at the bottom of a freeway entrance and when I finally get to the light, it turns green to allow me to join with the 5 mph traffic on this freeway that the light was supposed to help control the traffic flow of. I don’t believe there’s a point to these things any more, yet they continue to add them to access points that don’t need them.
One of my favorite “ramp meters,” with favorite being a very snarky word to use, is in Redwood City, CA. You get on the freeway and you think you’re good to go, with enough time and space to get up to 70+ mph. But I find that what I’m on is just a very long on-ramp that joins two on-ramps together, and I still have to stop at the end of this thing. There are actually several on-ramps like this in the Peninsula region of the Bay Area. They’re not only are no longer saving time, they’re wasting fuel as we’re forced to come to a complete stop next to a freeway that is sometimes moving at full speed. Add to that the fact that you aren’t up to speed when merging, you’re also adding a slight form of a traffic hazard to the equation.
Ramp meters, as far as I’m concerned, seem to just be political tools to garner recognition for someone who is trying to make a name for themselves or to get an “in” with the company who produces these things, hence, helping them to make more money off of a system that is causing money to be wasted we have yet one more stop-and-go scenario in our day. These are the very scenarios that adds wear-and-tear to a motor vehicle.
Sadly, I don’t see these things going away any time soon, but I sure wish someone with clout would stand up, prove how wasteful these things are, and at least put a stop to having more lights added to the traffic system that was originally designed to help people get places faster!
Where did this little tirade of an opinion come from? There’s no better way to get my attention than to stick something stupid in my face and make me experience it. You know I’m going to write about it, sooner or later. Sometimes later if the purpose serves me.
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/faq/faq66.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramp_meter
