Traffic Signals Never Please All the People All the Time

Perhaps it’s the surge of post-Labor Day traffic or the jump in prices at the gas pump, but there has been much mail lately from Orange County motorists irked by unsynchronized traffic signals and all the problems they cause--wasted time at red lights, smog from idling cars, increased gas consumption.

Here are three such offerings: Tim Pickwell of Newport Beach writes about his disdain for Jamboree Road’s fickle traffic lights, while Andres Sullivan pans the signals in Irvine. Finally, we cap today’s column with words of wisdom from Ed Vanwetswinkle of Costa Mesa, who would like to see a potential solution imported straight from Deutschland.

Dear Street Smart:

Jamboree Road between East Coast Highway and the San Diego Freeway is a major artery, yet it seems none of the traffic lights along this stretch are timed or coordinated.

It is not uncommon to hit a dozen red lights while traveling this relatively short distance. The posted speed limit is 50 m.p.h., but just getting into third gear is a major victory.

Most annoying, however, is to move along with the rush-hour traffic and be forced to stop when a lone car approaches an insignificant intersection (such as Birch Street, Bison Avenue or one of the several lights at parking lots). It is neither efficient nor environmentally sound to have 50 cars in either direction (yes, I’ve counted) come to a stop, idle, sit and wait, burn gas, pollute the air and then gear up again just so they can travel the next 100 yards to once again be stopped by a single car coming up to cross an intersection.

Who is responsible for timing the lights on major surface streets like Jamboree? Why don’t they require a longer waiting period for cars crossing Jamboree? Why do several office-building parking lots justify having traffic lights? Are there any plans to time the lights on Jamboree? What can I and other commuters do to help convince someone that this is necessary?

Tim Pickwell Newport Beach Dear Street Smart:

The city of Irvine seems to have adjusted its traffic lights in such a manner that you get one red light after another when cruising down any given street.

It is my understanding that for years most traffic-light systems were set so that a vehicle traveling at the posted speed limit would hit green lights. This has the obvious advantages of allowing traffic to flow and reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions while allowing all those driving to make more productive use of their time.

Irvine being such a “planned” community, it is surprising to find such anachronistic traffic controls.

Andres Sullivan Irvine Let’s start with the general and get to the specific.

Most traffic signals in Orange County are computerized, gleaning information from wire “loops” embedded in the pavement that can detect cars passing by.

Unfortunately, such signals can never please all of the people all of the time. Traffic engineers try for a happy medium between forcing motorists on cross streets to sit forever and interrupting the flow on a heavily traveled arterial road. It’s never perfect--even in ultra-planned Irvine--and can be further complicated if the equipment breaks down or the programming doesn’t quite allow cars on a major street to get through several lights in sequence.

Jamboree Road is a perfect example. At some times of the day, a motorist can, believe it or not, travel from the coast to the San Diego Freeway nearly unimpeded by red lights. But such instances are the exception rather than the rule.

Eager to improve the situation, the city of Newport Beach has hired a consultant to come up with ways to improve Jamboree’s performance.

“We want to try for a balance that gives the preference to the heavy traffic along Jamboree but doesn’t become unreasonable for people waiting at the cross streets,” said Richard Edmonston, Newport Beach traffic engineer.

But he noted that the majority of gripes about Jamboree Road come from irritated motorists who have sat for what seemed an eternity at cross streets.

During the morning and evening rush hours, the Jamboree traffic signals are operated by a computer at Newport Beach City Hall, Edmonston said. While this computer generally does a reasonably good job of keeping traffic flowing through green lights, the rolling topography of the roadway can cause a queue of cars to stretch out, he said. Some stragglers, as a result, may miss a signal or two.

At other times of the day and night, the signals operate independently. If there’s no one at a cross street, a motorist on Jamboree Road will typically get a green light. But even a lone car can, as Tim Pickwell points out, make a line of motorists come grinding to a halt.

Some office buildings along Jamboree Road in Irvine warrant signals chiefly because of the number of cars they host. The heavy traffic from such buildings could pose a hazard if it wasn’t regulated by a signal, transportation experts say.

While these transportation experts tinker with the existing system, some Orange County residents see a need for a more foreign approach. Consider the following letter:

Dear Street Smart:

In some European countries, specifically West Germany, a traffic system called Gruenewelle , or “Green Wave,” has been used in an effort to reduce traffic congestion. The purpose of the Green Wave system is to keep traffic flowing at predetermined speeds on major streets despite the presence of numerous traffic signals, major intersections and a heavy volume of traffic.

For example, a street like Brookhurst Avenue would display a sign indicating a “Green Wave at 45 m.p.h.” All vehicles traveling at 45 m.p.h. on the street would be able to move through the signal lights without ever stopping for a red light. Vehicles exceeding or traveling slower than the Green Wave speed would be caught at red lights.

The benefits would be cutting down on pollution, gas consumption, freeway traffic, time and aggravation.

Major streets could be targeted as Green Wave streets. People would tend to use these streets more often, thereby reducing freeway stop-and-go traffic.

The cost would be far less than that of adding new lanes to existing freeways or building new ones.

Ed Vanwetswinkle Costa Mesa The Green Wave may sound a bit like the title of a 1950s monster movie, but it seems a worthy idea.

A similar approach was used in some U.S. cities in decades past. I can remember driving with my parents years ago through San Francisco’s Sunset District and seeing signs advising a motorist that the signals were timed to 35 m.p.h. The system seemed to work pretty efficiently.

Most cities, however, dropped that practice because of legal problems. Motorists trying to time the signals would sometimes squirt into an intersection before the red light had turned to green. If such scenarios were repeated, the Green Wave could truly turn into a horror flick.

Street Smart appears Mondays in the Orange County section of The Times. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around in Orange County. Letters will be published in upcoming columns. No anonymous letters will be accepted. Please call (714) 966-5944 or write to Eric Bailey, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626. Include your full name, address , and day and evening phone numbers.