A blog about News, Politics, News, and Politics.
Real Name: James Geluso Address: 1707 Eye Street Bakersfield, CA 93301 Member Since: November 01, 2007 Last Signed In: September 04, 2008 Profile Views: 935 Blog Views: 14485 Ken Weir hosting community meetings Woodward loses (updated with trial notes) Woodward delayed ...and the city's response Woodward's case Beau Woodward won't give up Bike Path: The Tarabinos talk Beau Woodward gets 19, still one short Why aren't YOU running for office? So much for the council race November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 
RSS 2.0    Share!
|
|
|
Share your traffic light nightmares
I'm working on setting up a sit-down with the city's traffic engineers in Traffic Central to talk about traffic lights, synchronization and all that. I'm going to hit the big points -- what's synchronized, what's not, why is the traffic data so old, how does synchronization work anyway -- and then ask about a couple of my least favorite intersections: • 18th and F doesn't have sensors. It's synchronized to make me wait in the evening when nobody's coming the other way. Why? • At California and Oak, the eastbound-to-northbound left-turn lanes back up into the next intersection, and there's hardly any traffic going the other way? Why can't the left-turn light be lengthened? • At California and Chester Lane, what is the deal with the left-turn light? Sometimes it's at the beginning, sometimes it's at the end, and sometimes I sit there for a full cycle. And, again, often I'm sitting there with no oncoming traffic. But those are just the ones in my daily commute. What lights drive you nuts and make you want to call a traffic engineer and ask for an explanation? (Keep in mind this is going to be City of Bakersfield only, so the lights in other cities or in the county will be officially Out of Bounds.) 13 comments from 11 users
1
posted by
radioerik
on Jul 21, 2008 at 12:08 PM
The signal at Belle Terrace & Wible has been an issue for a long time. Turning left from east to north has the signal very short (2 cars can legally go and the 3rd car would be hitting that gray area of legality). There have been mornings where the line of cars trying to turn have gone past the 99 overpass and one time it was almost halfway to Real Rd. posted by
OldBlue56
on Jul 21, 2008 at 12:15 PM
radioerik, the blog says this meeting is only about city intersections. Belle Terrace and Wible is in the county. posted by
murphyslaw
on Jul 21, 2008 at 01:10 PM
The lights are set just right, why complain. I'll be setting at one light and when it changes I'll drive the posted speed limit just to hit the same red light at the next one and so on and so on until I get to where I'm going. You have to hit the light in the middle of the cycle in order to hit the next one on the green. If you have to stop for one red light, you are screwed from there on and they know it.. Paso Robles had the right idea back in the 80's, if you came up on the red light and all was clear in the evening, you were allowed to treat it as a four way stop and continue on after coming to a full stop. posted by
citybeat
on Jul 21, 2008 at 01:10 PM
But to be fair, Belle Terrace and Wible is in one of those weird middle-of-the-city county pockets. So yeah, it's probably outside the area of expertise of the city people. posted by
OldBlue56
on Jul 21, 2008 at 02:22 PM
Maybe not outside the cities area of expertise, but definitely outside their area of jurisdiction. And besides, YOU are the one who said county lights are out of bounds. Geez. posted by
citybeat
on Jul 21, 2008 at 03:05 PM
I'm just pointing out that RadioErik was probably acting in good faith and thinking it was a city light, not beng careless and throwing out intersections. posted by
ghostriter
on Jul 21, 2008 at 03:46 PM
The light at Truxtun and Empire makes me nuts every morning! It seems not to be timed at all, except to let all those coming from the city parking lot go first. And the left-turn light comes along at unknown intervals; you never know when the dam thing is going to change...or not! Man, I hate that light!!! posted by
freethinker
on Jul 21, 2008 at 05:40 PM
The one that drives me nuts is california and A, I know california is busy but GEEZ! It takes forever to turn at that intersection. I also avoid driving down H & F street, the timed lights are way too long, and plus i'm lucky to make it through 2 lights without the next one turning red, argh. posted by
NancyII
on Jul 21, 2008 at 05:43 PM
I complain about the lights too until I drive in a true metropolitan area where the traffic is so heavy nothing works. It could be better here but it could be a lot worse too. posted by
mattloch
on Jul 21, 2008 at 06:09 PM
The lights along Q Street through downtown (between Truxtun and Highway 178) give equal time for Q Street traffic as the traffic crossing it even though there are ten to twenty times as many cars driving down Q. Timing is constantly an issue, as lights go off-sequence after a matter of days, if not hours, of being set (meaning lots of cars stopping-and-going). posted by
Laurah
on Jul 22, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Heading north on L at 21st, I could do my nails in the time it takes that light to change. Apparently no sensors there. posted by
nooneisabovethelaw
on Jul 22, 2008 at 01:16 PM
Traffic light nightmares for cars? How about bicycles? The sensors don't work at all for those. So you ride up on the sidewalk, hit the button...coast back and hope you don't get clobbered by the clown who's making a right turn on red and doesn't have a CLUE there might be a bicyclist there. It happens to me regularly. posted by
kueljay
on Aug 4, 2008 at 09:35 AM
When you head North on Calloway and hit Rosedale...we need a right turn lane to get the the NW Promenade. Horrible planning. Should have made developers of the Promenade pay to improve traffic it created.
1
Our readers recommend: |