Somebody recently complained about the re-timing of the light at
East Main Avenue and Condit Road. But I don’t think the problem was
really stated. The fact of the matter is that, outside of school
hours (I understand the need for a longer light on E. Main at that
time), Condit Road has nearly as much traffic as E. Main.
“Somebody recently complained about the re-timing of the light at East Main Avenue and Condit Road. But I don’t think the problem was really stated. The fact of the matter is that, outside of school hours (I understand the need for a longer light on E. Main at that time), Condit Road has nearly as much traffic as E. Main. The way the light is currently set, the light is green for all E. Main traffic until it is “tripped” by a car on Condit. At that time, the pedestrian walk light changes to the red hand, and however long it would take for a normal (slow) person to cross the street, is how long it takes for that light to change. I can’t tell you how many times I have sat at that light with NO traffic passing on E. Main. If there were, I might feel there was some justification for the slow changing light. But sitting there for quite some time, waiting for some slow person (who isn’t there) to cross, and absolutely no traffic, is frustrating. Then, to make matters worse, the green light allowing Condit to pass, is as short as the blink of an eye! So, if you’re on Condit traveling toward that light, and you can see that it’s green, you can be sure it will be red by the time you get there. And there you will be sitting, waiting for the very slow (non-existent) person to cross the street, and watching the lack of cross traffic on E. Main. Can something be done?”
Red Phone: Dear Frustrated, Red Phone contacted Masoud Akbarzadeh, county traffic engineer, who understands your frustration. Some years ago based on popular demand this traffic signal was installed as a low budget temporary improvement utilizing available city and county resources, he said.
“Since then we have been searching for more dollars (grants) to reconstruct or upgrade this intersection and have made certain improvements as opportunities surfaced,” Akbarzadeh said. “However, the intersection is still not up to latest urban standards. For example, the signal still does not have pedestrian push buttons for crossing and therefore every signal cycle assumes that a pedestrian is present and wanting to cross. Similarly, there is no vehicular detection system in the pavement and therefore the signal must cycle assuming there are vehicles present at every approach to the intersection. The signal timing and cycle length is predetermined regardless of the dynamics of traffic. Unfortunately, these factors among others, are contributing to the inefficiencies.
“We will re-examine the traffic and signal timing and operation after the holidays (when school is in session) and improve operation to the extent possible. We will also continue our collaboration with the city in search of grants or other funding opportunities for longer term improvements which are not possible at this time considering our existing operating budget situation.”
Good caller, hope that answers your question.
