Post by refbasics on Feb 17, 2010 14:00:26 GMT -6
(for 2/19 Beacon News) (for the 2.19.10 edition)
I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent waiting at Eola Road at Molitor these past several months, but it’s a lot. This traffic light was added last summer and is necessary for the newly opened Metea Valley High School.
I use this intersection several times a day and the two things that annoy me the most are the long red on Molitor, and the short green left turn arrow on northbound Eola Road followed by more than two minutes of a red turn arrow. For almost ten years I’d been turning at this intersection to get home with no traffic light, not even a stop sign, and now I just wait and wait, frequently with little or no traffic coming from the other direction. It’s also been frustrating for my family and my neighbors.
This intersection is under the control of DuPage County. Last week I found myself being educated on traffic signal systems by Dave Ziesemer, DuPage County Division of Transportation Traffic Engineer. What I learned from Dave helps me tolerate the wait a bit more now that I understand it, and I’m glad to hear that he may be making some adjustments to this signal.
This particular signal is on a closed loop system with other nearby traffic signals, and they are all set up to move traffic through multiple intersections as efficiently as possible. Traffic counts are taken for both weekdays and weekend days in all lanes of an intersection and then progressive capacity analysis is used to determine the best settings to be used for various times of day. For example, in the mornings the traffic flow is heavier northbound, so the lights are in sync to move more traffic going north, while still allowing southbound traffic to get through, and reversed for the evenings. The signals in front of MVHS were put in too late in the year to allow traffic counts to be done.
Currently this signal timing is set up similarly to those in nearby signal systems, but later will have custom settings for current traffic flow that will need to be analyzed and potentially updated each of the next two years as the high school adds juniors and seniors. The county will also work with the school to deal with moving traffic for large functions.
Dave told me that this intersection currently has a 150 second cycle length, and he explained how the cycle works including the video cameras used to detect vehicles and how the length of green is determined for through traffic and left turns. The cycle differs for peak and off-peak hours and it’s possible that these hours need refining and that the cycle time could possibly be shortened for off-peak times, relieving some of the wait for those of us using Molitor while not causing backups on Eola.
It was interesting to find out how the signals work as a system, the impact to the cycles of pedestrian crossings and emergency vehicles, and the precision that goes into optimizing it all.
I’d been curious about why this intersection has a red left turn arrow while many busier intersections do not. It’s good to know the reason even though I don’t believe I’ve ever encountered a situation where there are vehicles in both left turn lanes going from Eola into MVHS. According to Dave, “newly constructed intersections are routinely designed to provide a sufficient number of lanes in order to allow motorists to pass through on no more than one green cycle of the signals during heaviest travel times. Roadways having double left turn lane approaches to a traffic signal automatically require ‘Left Turn on Arrow Only’ operation for both approaches as required by the Illinois Department of Transportation Traffic (IDOT) Signal Design Requirements. Motorist sight to oncoming vehicles during the double left turn movement has proven to be easily restricted causing significant safety concerns if permitted in combination with the opposing thru vehicle green movement.”
DuPage County controls about 330 signals within the county and I appreciate that people there have been willing to take the time to explain the system and take my concerns seriously.
SherryTatar@ameritech.net
statar.blogspot.com
--------------------------------
good luck on the timing of this light
don't forget all the days off, Wed late starts, early leave days, senior early dismissal times, etc, etc, etc ;D
-- forgot to add... all the testing days.....
I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent waiting at Eola Road at Molitor these past several months, but it’s a lot. This traffic light was added last summer and is necessary for the newly opened Metea Valley High School.
I use this intersection several times a day and the two things that annoy me the most are the long red on Molitor, and the short green left turn arrow on northbound Eola Road followed by more than two minutes of a red turn arrow. For almost ten years I’d been turning at this intersection to get home with no traffic light, not even a stop sign, and now I just wait and wait, frequently with little or no traffic coming from the other direction. It’s also been frustrating for my family and my neighbors.
This intersection is under the control of DuPage County. Last week I found myself being educated on traffic signal systems by Dave Ziesemer, DuPage County Division of Transportation Traffic Engineer. What I learned from Dave helps me tolerate the wait a bit more now that I understand it, and I’m glad to hear that he may be making some adjustments to this signal.
This particular signal is on a closed loop system with other nearby traffic signals, and they are all set up to move traffic through multiple intersections as efficiently as possible. Traffic counts are taken for both weekdays and weekend days in all lanes of an intersection and then progressive capacity analysis is used to determine the best settings to be used for various times of day. For example, in the mornings the traffic flow is heavier northbound, so the lights are in sync to move more traffic going north, while still allowing southbound traffic to get through, and reversed for the evenings. The signals in front of MVHS were put in too late in the year to allow traffic counts to be done.
Currently this signal timing is set up similarly to those in nearby signal systems, but later will have custom settings for current traffic flow that will need to be analyzed and potentially updated each of the next two years as the high school adds juniors and seniors. The county will also work with the school to deal with moving traffic for large functions.
Dave told me that this intersection currently has a 150 second cycle length, and he explained how the cycle works including the video cameras used to detect vehicles and how the length of green is determined for through traffic and left turns. The cycle differs for peak and off-peak hours and it’s possible that these hours need refining and that the cycle time could possibly be shortened for off-peak times, relieving some of the wait for those of us using Molitor while not causing backups on Eola.
It was interesting to find out how the signals work as a system, the impact to the cycles of pedestrian crossings and emergency vehicles, and the precision that goes into optimizing it all.
I’d been curious about why this intersection has a red left turn arrow while many busier intersections do not. It’s good to know the reason even though I don’t believe I’ve ever encountered a situation where there are vehicles in both left turn lanes going from Eola into MVHS. According to Dave, “newly constructed intersections are routinely designed to provide a sufficient number of lanes in order to allow motorists to pass through on no more than one green cycle of the signals during heaviest travel times. Roadways having double left turn lane approaches to a traffic signal automatically require ‘Left Turn on Arrow Only’ operation for both approaches as required by the Illinois Department of Transportation Traffic (IDOT) Signal Design Requirements. Motorist sight to oncoming vehicles during the double left turn movement has proven to be easily restricted causing significant safety concerns if permitted in combination with the opposing thru vehicle green movement.”
DuPage County controls about 330 signals within the county and I appreciate that people there have been willing to take the time to explain the system and take my concerns seriously.
SherryTatar@ameritech.net
statar.blogspot.com
--------------------------------
good luck on the timing of this light
don't forget all the days off, Wed late starts, early leave days, senior early dismissal times, etc, etc, etc ;D-- forgot to add... all the testing days.....
There's traffic around that site ? Can't be- one can drive from Watts to Metea in 8 minutes you know ! Wait until all those kids run into that existing traffic aand the trucks getting off I88- and a zillion school buses haling kids from the ends of the earth there-- enjoy the red lights I say.
