Traffic lights rant

[made in china]

I've sent emails to ODOT in the last couple years or any other state agency that may be involved Naming specific lights on specific main artery's that are blatantly obviously missed timed. My entire business is showing up to a problem site unseen, assessing the problem, assessing how to fix the problem and what it's going to cost to fix it and I've maintained a 4.75 star rating over nine years of business so I'm good at doing my job. The only response I ever got back was snarky about how I'm wrong and don't know what I'm talking about and they are right because they are intricately trained in how to weave baskets underwater and weld in space.

That's the same attitude the engineers flip to the field guys.

In Seattle, there were a few notable projects that went "off the rails" and made things worse.

Those who know the area will be familiar with these:

Several years ago, they made Mercer St 2-way. At first, it was bad enough. But, to exacerbate the situation, the engineers decided they "must have" adaptive central control over the traffic signals on this stretch of Mercer.
Well, the system uses algorithms to figure out the best traffic flow, however, those algorithm rely on good data in to get good operation out. Well, when the system glitched, or the input data was bad, the central system would really eff things up. It got so bad, we even powered down and bagged one of the signals for a few years to try and figure out what was wrong.

People are constantly getting stuck in intersections because when their light turns green, the next light turns red (these intersections are very close together, Google it, stories will come up) causing people to inadvertently "block the box".
Do you know what the solution for that issue is? They installed cameras to fine/ticket those who get caught blocking the intersection. Isn't that nice?

Another one, using that same central system....
When the tunnel that replaced the viaduct was completed, it emptied into the SLU area near the aforementioned Mercer St....
Well, they put those signals on central control too.
When the central control would glitch, the signal that controlled the intersection at the north tunnel exit would stick red, causing traffic to back way up into the tunnel. It could take an hour before someone called us out to troubleshoot it. Wanna know how stupid this central control system is? When the light was stuck red, it would still stop cross traffic and service the corresponding ped signals....so, you'd be stuck forever at a red light, watching the peds go into walk on a regular basis.

Guess how we techs fixed it....
We unplugged the controllers from the Ethernet and told the engineers that they need to figure it out..... Unplugging a controller from the Ethernet is a big deal, because although it makes it impossible for central control to cause trouble, we can no longer remotely manage those unplugged intersections.

Crazy thing, they ran better using their internal pre programmed data.

 

[Flopsweat]

Seriously, give it a watch. We may not like Greta, but she is totally correct in this clip.

I don't for one minute believe that she had any idea what she was saying, other than to parrot what someone told her to say. I've seen her speak offstage before, and she truly is mentally retarded.

 

[made in china]

I don't for one minute believe that she had any idea what she was saying, other than to parrot what someone told her to say. I've seen her speak offstage before, and she truly is mentally retarded.

Oh, I agree, she's being used imo. However, this snippet, those are true statements.

She just hasn't developed a taste for money, yet. Like AOC, the script will flip once they get a taste.

 

[Mikej]

Seeing as how I'm on this forum, I'm probably right of center.....
And seeing as how I work on traffic signals, I obviously am a government employee.
Furthermore, being on the left coast, well....
Would it surprise you if I told you that the traffic signals being annoying may be tied to the bureaucracy that manages them?
No kidding, I could write a 400 page book outlining the incompetence, inefficiencies, ineptitude, politicization, special interests, grift, etc that is basically at the core of why, in many areas, traffic signals seem to be ineffective.

Hint: look at what your local government agency/office communicates as their priorities. Being on the left coast you'll hear things like "bicycles" and "vision zero" or "transit". Did they say they care about you? No, they didn't.

As a traffic signal tech, myself and my coworkers truly care that things function correctly, but the people who control the purse strings are revolving door bureaucrats looking to pad their resumes with a bunch of "change" instead of "maintenance". When I worked for Seattle, they actually thought that when drivers complained, that meant they were on the right track.
Now I work for a better city, we care, but we are so short staffed that we can't even keep up with the car crashes destroying our equipment, let alone go out and ensure that the "big silver box" is efficiently handling traffic demand.

Do you know how much worse my job has become since the big push for the liberalization of drug use? Just at one intersection we've had to replace the "big silver box" 3 times in 10 months. Each time, that box is $35k, not including labor. No insurance and typically the driver that caused the accident runs.

Oh, BTW, we should have 6 signal techs, we have 2, and he's ready to retire leaving me to deal with several knock downs a week, sometimes 4 a day, by myself.

I'd explain to you what's going on inside the big silver box, but it'd probably just frustrate you further to learn that there's good equipment inside being neglected.

But don't worry, your city probably still fully funds art projects and drag queen story time at the local library, so there's that to be grateful for.

I'm sorry that the big silver box frustrates you.

I'd love to "Make Traffic Signals Great Again" but City Council cares more about "inclusivity" and bicyclists.....

I'm sorry you took my quote as chastising you. That was not my intention. Just like I don't blame our men in blue for the pile of bubblegum this city is turned into.

Nothing you said above comes at the slightest surprise. No one has more empathy for the hard workers in the public sector than me. Everything you named above I see and feel every bubbleguming day. I come here to be able to bubblegum about it TO, not AT, mostly like minded people.

Three times I've been misunderstood in one day!

I used to talk regularly to a guy that worked for the city, potland. He ran a city truck and did traffic light stuff. He told me some stories of being bullied by higher-ups to do work that he knew should have been done after other work was going to be done. His work was torn out and had to be done again because of the incompetency of supervisors. I know how effed up this city is. I'm sure the major Sound cities are just as effed leaving the people on the ground just as flustered.

 

[leverite]

Fyi...Clark County has the best signal system and signal managers in the region. Latest technology to deal with real time changes in traffic patterns.
Not to be confused with (or by) City of Vancouver.