Sunday, August 4, 2013

About this traffic signal synchronization...


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Below is a copy of the city manager's report to council for the week of May 6. This report is available as a public document. For many months, the anti-rt. 1 widening Gang of No has complained that traffic light timing would solve all our problems. Sue Digre set a meeting up in Rhythm Engineering to describe their InSync adaptive traffic signal system as it would apply to Pacifica's chronically congested stretch of rt. 1

The conclusion of the Insync folks is to widen the road.

 Digre missed her own meeting.  

 Summary of Meeting with In|Sync regarding signal synchronization on Highway 1

On May 6, 2013 a meeting was held on Highway 1 signal synchronization with Steve Mager , Account Manager for In|Sync . In attendance at the meeting were Mayor Len Stone, Steve Rhodes, Van Ocampo, Joe Hurley (San Mateo County Program Director), Chris Mitchell traffic consultant (Traffic Engineer – Fehr and Peers Traffic Consultants), and Steve Mager. Councilmember Digre was scheduled to participate but was unable to attend.

Mr. Mager introduced his product and said that it is a successful approach to relieve traffic congestion in some circumstances and has been successfully applied in many situations. He stated that where there is a capacity issue (too many cars for the same stretch of roadway) their product will not resolve the problem.

Mr. Mager asked questions about the current and projected congestion, traffic volume and the signal cycle on Highway 1in the section being discussed. After hearing that information, he felt that the In|Sync system would not resolve the problem. He said that synchronization would not result in any improvement in traffic flow during the peak periods. He felt the solution was to pursue a capacity increasing improvement.
Submitted by Mark Stechbart

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

35 years later and they are still doing everything they can to try to block this. Sue, calls a meeting then doesn't go.

Nice move Sue, please don't run again. You have done too much damage with your, "our ecology is our economy"

Anonymous said...

What?!?! Fairy dancers, poets, and painters don't know what they're talking about when they attempt to engineer traffic?!?!

I am shocked. Shocked!

Kathy Meeh said...

"In|Sync system would not resolve the problem. He said that synchronization would not result in any improvement in traffic flow during the peak periods. He felt the solution was to pursue a capacity increasing improvement." Steve Mager , Account Manager for In|Sync, from the article.

So, now must be the time to widen the highway 1, 1.3 miles to allow for highway entry and exit lanes. And isn't that what the CalTrans DEIR studies concluded years ago?

But, some of us can hardly wait for the next NIMBY "freeway solution", including the usual default: there really isn't any traffic, wink. Hey, for south coast traffic, how about thinking underground tunnel (named after earth mole or gopher). With regional NIMBY vision "think underground tunnel" may get built 35 years from now (or never). Meantime, in Pacifica and along the coast, we're stuck in traffic.

Jim said...

Or there is always the Bohner/Loeb solution, tie it up in court. This group is incessantly whining about doom and destruction if Pacifica takes the next step out of horse and buggy days. Time for the vast majority of Pacifican's to step up and say, enough is enough. We need to realize we are a small part of a regional transportation conduit and the only thing we accomplish by preventing this highway fix is gridlock in our town. What's the result of that? People quit coming down this way. I, for one, look for an alternative if I know a route is consistently jammed up. I'm sure I'm not alone in that. We need people to be able to drive to Pacifica without worrying about being stuck in traffic. Many may be headed farther south but it's our responsibility to lure them to stop here with attractive signage and top notch destinations. Let's build on what we have.

Anonymous said...

we have too much traffic
we don't have enough traffic to justify doing this

I love it how all the gang of no are experts on traffic, engineering and highway maintence

Hutch said...

Over on RIP tide Dan U. pretty much said he thinks they (Caltrans) set the timing to make more traffic on purpose in order to make a better case for widening.

This is how these people think. The sea is going to rise and flood Pacifica so why widen the freeway.

Anonymous said...

Please post a link to the report or a pdf, as I don't trust Mark Stechbart (or for that matter you) to provide an honest copy of what was said. I know you wont post this message because you haven't got the guts to allow an honest conversation.

Anonymous said...

You guys do not get it. Just cause you can flop down some paint on a canvas, or make an ashtray out of clay, or sing a crappy song, that makes you a world reknown expert in just about everything.

I really wish I was one of these super expert know it all hippies.

ummm after thinking this over, and looking at them.Nah!

Anonymous said...

The above recital by Mark is at best hearsay as he himself was not present. However it is clear the city still refuses to include the public in this process. The city has allowed the issue to become a closed shop between it's officials and those of the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, and Caltrans. Mark also fails to inform that the SMCTA official present at this meeting lives in Pacifica and was previously employed by Caltrans. Finally an in house study commissioned by Caltrans dated from 2009 titled Preliminary Value Analysis Study Report shows 22 exceptions needed to Caltrans own design standards to construct the widening project. 22.

Anonymous said...

3:52

Involving the public is a dog and pony show. Caltrans is going to do what caltrans is going to do.

3:52 we all know who you are, you are not so smart nor are you clever.

Anonymous said...

Pouting doesn't cut it anon 352PM. As noted, the city manager report to council about light timing NOT being a viable solution is a public record. Oh, and Sue Digre set the meeting up, got a copy of the city manager recap to the rest of council, but neglected to attend her own meeting. I might add Sue Digre did not invite the public either, including you. So Anon 352, man up and get your own copy to verify if that is your wish, or call Sue Digre at 650-278-1606 and complain to her.

Anonymous said...

Thanks anon 3:52, I see my suspicions of Mark are well founded. As of yet no link or pdf of the "City Manager report" - I'm guessing it doesn't exist.

Anonymous said...

5:54 They have been known to just make stuff up.

Why not just post the link from the city hall website.

Why does everything in this town have to be done under cloak and daggers?

Jim said...

Link this, link that. Lancelot Linc was a monkey, a trained monkey dressed up. Why do you guys act like monkeys. They don't post every memo on the city web site. sometimes you gotta ask for them. I'm sure you master and leader, Ms Digre, has one. Ask her. Jeez! Mis-direction and massive whining. Gotta love it.

Anonymous said...

Bray has left the building to go to Riptide to yap with an identical posting. Typical of Gang of No, they will oppose at any cost and facts never get in their way. The Gang is clearly upset one of their key opposition points--light timing--is baseless. I did, however, look around the city website for city manager reports or memos to council. Nothing posted.
Maybe Bray will call digre and get this huge lack of council transparency corrected.