SEAL BEACH : Synchronization of Traffic Lights OKd

Signal lights along Seal Beach Boulevard will be synchronized with those of nearby cities in an effort to improve traffic flow.

The City Council approved the plan Monday night despite concerns from Councilman Frank Laszlo that the synchronization might only worsen traffic problems.

Under the Orange County Transportation Authority plan, traffic signals on Seal Beach Boulevard between the San Diego Freeway and Pacific Coast Highway will be coordinated with more than 140 other signals in surrounding communities.

Several new traffic-signal controllers will be installed along Seal Beach Boulevard so that all signals are connected to one master computer. The computer will modify the signals’ timing as traffic patterns change.

About $49,000 in county Measure M funds will be used to complete the Seal Beach leg of the project. Measure M, providing a half-cent sales tax for transportation improvement, was approved by county voters in 1991.

Laszlo, who has often expressed skepticism about signal synchronization, reiterated his fear Monday that the plan will force drivers trying to enter Seal Beach Boulevard from side streets to wait longer at red lights.

“It’s never been successful as far as I am concerned,” Laszlo said. “I look upon it very warily.”

But other council members expressed support for the plan, saying it would move cars through the city swiftly and prevent congestion. City Manager Jerry L. Bankston said the plan allows city officials to modify signal timing if residents complain.

In the end, Laszlo reluctantly voted with the rest of the council to approve the program, saying: “I don’t hold high expectation for this.”