Posted on 09/28/2007 5:05:19 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The Texas Department of Transportation is installing traffic signals designed to increase congestion and drive toll road traffic.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is using traffic signals to create the level of frustration to a point where the public is forced to accept toll roads. Earlier this month in Austin, TxDOT added an extra traffic signal on State Highway 71 to coincide with the opening of the third segment of the State Highway 130 toll road. Residents interviewed by News 8 Austin complained that the change made already bad traffic much worse on nearby free roads.
"At its worst it's about a two-hour wait," Daniel Villegas said. "Traffic just accumulates and accumulates."
Likewise, those driving on US 183 Liberty Hill are diverted onto a frontage road with a new traffic signal that generates significant congestion that can only be avoided by taking the 183A toll road.
"It has become obvious to me that this whole toll road system has less to do with improving mobility and more to do with lining the pockets of private toll road investors and property developers along the old and new routes," resident Malcom Terry wrote in a complaint to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority in February. "We were sold a bill of goods."
Often state agencies enter into "non-compete" agreements with private companies that operate toll roads. The provisions of these agreements require not only that nearby competing free roads remain unimproved, but also that various obstacles such as lowered speed limits and traffic signals be used to generate additional congestion, as happened on the Colorado E-470 and Sydney, Australia's Cross City Tunnel.
Source: New traffic lights a nightmare for commuters (News 8 Austin (TX), 9/27/2007)
So sayeth theNewspaper.com...
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
I don’t doubt this at all.
TXDot is evil I tells ya!
When the government starts working against the people...
Ahmanidiot has a doctorate in traffic engineering - maybe Texas DoT could make him an offer.
In the Raleigh-Durham NC area, highway 55 was recently improved to 4 lanes. But, they have put in so many unsynchronized lights, the congestion is worse.
Lucky for us, they are willing to finish the nearby, incomplete 540 beltline as a toll road.
Now it all makes sense.
This manufactured congestion has an unintended consequence. It causes emergency vehicles to be slowed down, too, causing unnecessary deaths for those needing an ambulance, the fire brigade, or immediate help from the police. The scheme smacks of something very smelly within certain high governmental positions within and without the state. Unfortunately, oversight is lacking and, no doubt, some of those charged with oversight are corrupt as well.
Governmental fraud if you ask me.I wonder how many other states are pulling this stunt.
Good enough place to bump this thread
Another ‘unintended’ consequence is that these traffic light and tollway games waste energy and increase pollution. The PC Police should be tossing these Tollway Tax Maniacs into the Highway Hoosegow.
And here is the real kicker. Our tolls in Houston have just gone up, again. Also, what they have done is close down the number lanes one uses to pay with coins, so at the toll plaza’s backups occur 24/7. This is truly the government trying to get the people to act a certain way. What way is that you ask. By closing down the change lanes, it forces users of the toll roads to by something called an ez-tag. Granted one pays less for each use of the toll road this way, but it also cuts down on the number of employee’s the toll road authority needs to have on staff. Eventually, they will all be unmanned that the owners of the toll road will have serious profits. Not that Im against profits, but the idea proposed for most toll roads is that when they are paid for, the rates go down. Won’t happen here. The rates continue to sky rocket. Minimun 1.50 when you are on the toll road. What’s really crappy are the places you have to pay a toll to exit.
The tollway was built because getting from Tampa to Brooksville/Spinghill area was darn near impossible in a timely fashion.
For some reason almost nobody uses the tollway simply because it cost almost $7.00 from start to finish one way!
If you don't mind paying highway robbery, it's an easy trip because it's empty road
But with a E-pass, it is probably cheaper when adding up the fuel expense of "stop and start" traffic.
Yes, you do get a discount using E-pass.
Stop and go traffic is not the problem on the regular roads that run parallel to the tollway, they are all two lane highways with lots of trucks on them so you tend to move pretty slow.
I’d rather get the EZ tag than come to a stop behind some bozo who drives up the plaza and says to himself “well, I guess it’s time to start thinkin’ about seein’ whether I’ve got any change for this here toll booth”.
Happens everyday. Then they honk and expect the toll taker to walk two lanes over and give them change.
I try to stay off the toll roads as much as possible and I refuse to get an EZ tag.
Do you actually have one of these devices? If so, does it work everywhere you go? Do most municipalities use lights affected by these devices? Thanks in advance for your answers; this device might be worth its weight in gold to me.
This should be no surprise, coming from the highway “engineers” who have apparently never heard of the concept of “timing” lights to reduce congestion.
Do you suppose TxDOT gets them all from the same school?
Which Texas engineering school has the very lowest academic standards?
Besides UNT, that is.
`(1) SALE- A person who knowingly sells a traffic signal preemption transmitter in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce to a person who is not acting on behalf of a public agency or private corporation authorized by law to provide fire protection, law enforcement, emergency medical services, transit services, maintenance, or other services for a Federal, State, or local government entity, shall, notwithstanding section 3571(b) of title 18, United States Code, be fined not more than $10,000, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.
`(2) USE- A person who makes unauthorized use of a traffic signal preemption transmitter in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce shall be fined not more than $10,000, imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both.
That being said, here is a link to a D-I-Y device, if you dare.
I can tell you in all honesty that if your TX traffic engineers come from the same schools as our BC traffic engineers, we’re ALL screwed. Only in BC do traffic FLOW “experts” decide that FLOW can be enhanced by installing ANOTHER traffic light.
To get from my house to the hospital I used to work at, now due to “enhancements”, I am required to travel through FOUR traffic lights, two stop signs, and two “traffic-calming” circles, in a residential area. This route eliminates a traffic light and a school zone.
That doesn’t sound too bad, but I can WALK to this hospital in umder 10 minutes. Driving LEGALLY, thanks to all these “improvements”, takes 95 seconds longer. Yes, I HAVE timed it.
IT wouldn’t be so bad, but for the fact that so few folks understand the concepts behind a traffic circle. They think it means STOP until EVERYONE else is clear, then go like hell and damn the torpedoes.
I only wish that the powers that be had to PROVE that they could properly and safely use the traffic devices they foist upon we the paying (and paying and paying and paying) public. I’d LOVE to take my mayor for a ride on this abortion he likes to call a “calmed” road.
BTW, I can see the aircraft warning lamp from my desk on the hospital I referred to earlier.
I can tell you in all honesty that if your TX traffic engineers come from the same schools as our BC traffic engineers, we’re ALL screwed. Only in BC do traffic FLOW “experts” decide that FLOW can be enhanced by installing ANOTHER traffic light.
To get from my house to the hospital I used to work at, now due to “enhancements”, I am required to travel through FOUR traffic lights, two stop signs, and two “traffic-calming” circles, in a residential area. This route eliminates a traffic light and a school zone.
That doesn’t sound too bad, but I can WALK to this hospital in umder 10 minutes. Driving LEGALLY, thanks to all these “improvements”, takes 95 seconds longer. Yes, I HAVE timed it.
IT wouldn’t be so bad, but for the fact that so few folks understand the concepts behind a traffic circle. They think it means STOP until EVERYONE else is clear, then go like hell and damn the torpedoes.
I only wish that the powers that be had to PROVE that they could properly and safely use the traffic devices they foist upon we the paying (and paying and paying and paying) public. I’d LOVE to take my mayor for a ride on this abortion he likes to call a “calmed” road.
BTW, I can see the aircraft warning lamp from my desk at home, on the hospital I referred to earlier.
I apoligize for the hiccup. I think I caused it, but I’m not telling you how...
Be aware that it is a felony in some states to use a Mirt device. Also, many intersections have cameras that activate when the mirt device is activated.
Ya’ll going to need to go get your state back.....
BTTT
No joke. Not just the new signal, but the older signals are out of timing again. Calling TXDOT won't help either. I have that phone number memorized - 832-7200 is the number for the TXDOT central district traffic signal shop.
The light at Cypress Creek and 183 has the new cameras that determines if and where traffic is present is not working. It goes thru a full cycle every morning. Protected left for cross traffic, straignt across traffic, protected left for 183 both directions and then 183 main lanes. There is no traffic on Cypress Creek at 6 AM.
We sit there and the traffic just piles up. It takes two cycles to get thru that light some mornings, BEFORE 6 AM. I called and talked to the head signal guy, and he said he avoids 183 BECAUSE THE LIGHTS ARE OUT OF TIME.
“Likewise, those driving on US 183 Liberty Hill are diverted onto a frontage road with a new traffic signal that generates significant congestion that can only be avoided by taking the 183A toll road.”
I use this road quite often and IMO, it’s a deliberate attempt to force people on to the toll road by making it as inconvinient and dangerous as possible.
Perhapes an Austin area FReeper with some Photoshop skills could make a diagram?
The bitch at the gate handed me a piece of paper explaining that if I didn't get a toll tag within 24 hours I could be ticketed.
I will die in hell before I get a toll tag. If I get a ticket I WILL be in court and I WILL make a huge stink.
You said you’re from BC. Well, I visited Vancouver this past summer, and one thing I noticed was the blinking green traffic signals, which I simply treated like solid green back home. What’s up with that?
It may not be intentional. Texas has the worst signage in the Universe. I defy anyone to get to D/FW airport from anywhere in Texas on the first try. Any moron can get to LAX.
The blinking green lights are usually a pedestrian controlled crossing. The light stays flashing green until a pedestrian hits the button. The light then goes solid green for 30-45 seconds, then yellow, then red. Usually the light will goe flashing green again after 1 1/2 minutes or thereabouts.
It’s especially handy around playgrounds etc.
As a naturlized Tex-i-can there’s somtem that just galls my crawl about paying to ride on a road that I’ve already paid highway and bridge taxes to build. If “The Napolean of the West” had won the battle at Lynch’s Ferry I would expect this kind of treatment at the hands of our E-lect-ed critters.
Fix TXDOT First.
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