posted by Mike Madison at 7:12 PM /
A regular Blog-Lebo reader wrote in puzzlement about the timing on the traffic lights at Segar Road and Bower Hill Road. If I read his note correctly, the short green coming up Segar and crossing Bower Hill means extraordinarily long wait times at peak hours.
I don't travel that route much, so I've never noticed. I have noticed something else, though, which is that the timing of the lights at several of major Mt. Lebanon intersections -- Cochran and Washington Road for example -- seems to change from time to time, with no apparent rhyme or reason.
What's your favorite (or least favorite) traffic light in Mt. Lebanon?
I don't travel that route much, so I've never noticed. I have noticed something else, though, which is that the timing of the lights at several of major Mt. Lebanon intersections -- Cochran and Washington Road for example -- seems to change from time to time, with no apparent rhyme or reason.
What's your favorite (or least favorite) traffic light in Mt. Lebanon?
Labels: traffic lights, transportation
19 Comments:
I don't like the light at Washington Road at Bower Hill Road during the evening rush hour. Going southbound (towards Mt.L) the right hand lane is required to turn right. So all of the traffic has to get over into the left lane creating a convergence and backing up traffic. If they would simply allow both lanes to go straight, you wouldn't have the congestion that frequently backs up all the way to Scott Road.
Lots of lights in Lebo, Dormont, and in fact all over Pittsburgh behave as if they were programmed by monkeys. The apparent lack of any kind of meaningful synchronization of the sequential lights along W. Liberty and Washington Rd. is especially bad. There is no reason why someone driving along the stretch between Washington School and Shady Dr should have to stop more than once, but there seems to be no relationship between the cycles of any of the lights.
I think it's shameful, especially in a town that purports be and have the best of everything. Still, it fits in with the fatalistic attitude toward government and other kinds of public and bureaucratic processes that is so common among Pittsburghers. People sit and fume at red lights, but nobody thinks that they can influence the municipality to fix it.
And while I'm bitching, when is Lebo going to replace all those wasteful incandescent traffic lights with LEDs?
I have a HUGE problem with Cochran Rd. between Virginia Manor and Bower Hill Rd. If you are ever unlucky enough to get stuck in this area at busy times, which there seems to be several of during the day, you know what I mean. It can take 20 minutes to clear this area. Surely they could time the lights at Beverly with the lights at Bower Hill and relieve some of this congestion! While they're at it, maybe they could extend the turn signal at Bower Hill, so more than 2 cars can get through at a time!!!
That felt good! Thanks!!
I'd like to see a left turn signal at Washington Road and Shady. Also the timing of the lights on Washington Road is awful!
Northbound on Washington, turning left down Cochran. It seems not to long ago, the left turn only light timing after you get the "green" at main entrance changed. You get headed to cochran and almost as soon as you get there you lose the "left only" light. This causes drivers to try & make it and conflict with the southbound traffic on Washington.
Then traffic backs up past main entrance again and you repeat.
It's like a slinky dog.
It seems that the lights on Washington Rd. traveling northbound on Sunday mornings are timed in such a way that drivers going the speed limit hit all red lights from Cochran to Bower Hill. Washington Road has always reminded me of the "chase scene" in "Meet the Parents".
I would say that the lights at Sunnyhill and Washington and Mayfair and Washington are needless lights. (A light at Beadling and Wshington may make more sense during school hours.)
Better timed lights on Cochran may go a long way towards alleviating the racing through adjoining neighborhood.
Every school morning the traffic on Overlook backs up trying to turn left onto Beverly Road. Between the very long light for Beverly drivers and the short light for Overlook drivers, the pedestrians crossing Beverly, the cars driving straight after dropping the kids off at Lincoln, and the cars backing up from the parking spots in front of The Coffee Tree, it becomes a gridlock from 8:15 to 8:45 am. Sometimes no cars or only one, sometimes two, get a chance to turn or drive straight. Its quicker to walk than drive that corner! Overlook drivers need more time to turn left!
Related to the lights (is there a synched light in all of PGH?), what are the long cylindrical ojbects mounted on the southwest corner of intersections on Washington Rd? They seem tied into the lights, and have antenna.
-Chris M
The only obviously synchronized lights I know of in Pittsburgh are along Forbes and Fifth in Oakland. These lights are timed such that a driver going 25 mph (I think) should only have to stop at most once between Craft Ave and Bellefield Ave. I.e. The lights sequentially turn green/red at a rate of 25 mph.
That kind of synchronization is harder with two-way traffic. However, a very simple scheme would have the same effect in Uptown Lebo: The stretch between Shady Dr and Central Square is 0.3 miles long. If all the lights are green, a car traveling 25 mph will traverse the whole stretch in about 45 seconds. So if all the lights in that stretch turn green simultaneously and stay green for at least 45 seconds, then a car traveling the speed limit should only have to stop at most once in that stretch.
To implement this kind of synchronization, you have to disable the pedestrian buttons, and just include pedestrian walk lights as part of the regular cycle. This is what they do in Oakland, and it's not a problem. There they also give the pedestrians a head start by keeping the traffic light red for a second or two after the walk light comes on (in the same direction), so the pedestrians can get into the crosswalk before the cars start trying to turn.
The problem I have had with Pittsburgher's is that it seems everybody either has low standards or just don't believe that their voice can ever be heard. All of these lights have been this way for decades, yet I wonder if anyone ever fights for change at any Government meetings. (I am one who thinks the Govt can't do anything because even changing timing on a light is too expensive...)
Anyways, it seems from the discussion, the following should at least be looked at:
1. Night time rush hour on Segar and Bower Hill (I agree with the post, I have sat through at least 8 lights and have waited 20 minutes)
2. Right turn only lane on Washington to Bower Hill Road should be both lanes during rush hour
3. Oakland style lighting in Uptown Mt Lebanon (so cars can go 25 mph through without hitting lights and remove buttons for pedestrians)
4. Cochran Rd and Virginia Manor (not sure if this can be helped without adding new turning lanes, I agree it is a total mess)
5. left turn signal at Washington Road and Shady
6. Lengthen left turn only lane at Washington and Cochran
7. Add a left turn green light on Overlook and Beverly
Now, of course, some of the traffic "experts" may say that some of the above cannot be done. But why not try? Maybe bloglebo can be a way for us to tell our leaders that there are some problems with our community (without having to go down to a meeting).
Finally, I would like to add that rush hour should not be 4:30 - 6:00 anymore. With new work arrangements (flexible time), rush hour should be 4:00 to 6:30.
My biggest pet peeves are always rush hour - basically because I usually don't drive Washington Rd. Bower Hill to MacFarland is always a disaster on Washington Rd during Rush Hour.
How do we go about requesting changes/synchronization of lights? I wouldn't even know where to begin!
CM
CM - My husband once contacted Penndot about a light timing problem and they resolved the problem fairly quickly. This road was on his way to work in Robinson and he sat at this poorly timed light every morning for 8 months.
He began to jot down daily observations about the cycle, noting patterns in all lanes of traffic at this particular light. He tracked the pattern of lights that preceded and followed this light. Because he spent significant time waiting at this particular signal, he had time to analyze the traffic implications of a poorly timed signal. Ultimately, he constructed a solution and wrote it up in report form.
Then he had to contact the appropriate authority. He began with the municipality, who advised him the road was maintained by the state. He contacted Penndot and described the situation. The secretary (screener) was impressed by his analysis and put his call through directly to the lead engineer. The lead engineer acknowledged a spate of complaints about the light and sent out a review team. My husband faxed him his analysis (my husband is not an engineer btw) and the problem was resolved a week later.
'twas a good bit of work ... but it can be done. --Anonymous Mom of 3--
Sheesh, calm yourselves down. Clearly the lights are timed perfectly to incur massive overhaul of road infrastructure on the side streets being used to circumvent the lights.
Why cut red tape when you can just wrap on some more?
:)
Matt must be talking about the speeding traffic that cuts through Lebanon Hills every morning...entering Park Entrance and exiting on Main Entrance to avoid the Washington Road lights...
I can't believe the parents that drop off their kids at the high school RIGHT AT THE DOOR of the auditorium instead of pulling all the way down along the sidewalk to keep traffic from backing up on Washington and Cochran.It is dangerous how some parents drop the kids off "in traffic" that is pulling around these cars.
Did you ever see a parent wait for traffic to allow them to turn into the Southminster Presbyterian turn around for Daycare drop off. It locks up traffic in every direction around Mellon Middle School, Washington Road, and Castle Shannon Blvd. I have sat at the light watching it go through 3 cycles until the parent figures out that no one can move until they change their mind and MOVE!
It's funny. Mt Lebanon probably times these lights to discourage drivers from Bethel, St Clair, Peters from using the road to get to town.
So what do they get? People swerving in and out of lanes, people speeding up to get through a yellow light, people cutting through neighborhoods....
It is way past time for something to be done. Yesterday, I sat at 4 lights in a 1/4 mile on Washington Road at Uptown Mt Lebanon. I don't know how many cars where swerving in and out of lanes.
Maybe Uptown businesses will do better if the lights are timed like Oakland. Where pedestrians know they will be able to cross the street, no matter where they are. Where drivers know that if they hit a red light, they won't be hitting 3 more.
Stop the insanity!
Anon 4-11-9:00,
Guilty as charged. :) Except I always used to take Rocklynn up and cut through the Beverly Heights parking lot. Somewhere in hell there's a gridlocked intersection with my name on it.
It wasn't speeding though. But it probably appeared that way to all the folks stuck at Mayfair & Washington.
I just noticed that the lights in uptown Mt Lebanon were either retimed or automatically changed due to the time of year.
Now it takes twice as long to get through uptown. All that means is more weaving in an out of traffic, speeding to get through a light, and more accidents.
Way to go Mt Lebanon!
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