4/27/2015 11:54:03 Closed by Andrew Cibor
Explained situation and monitoring signal operation (offsets)
Other: The City has done a great job getting the traffic lights between 1st street onward north on Walnut Street timed so that driven at the speed limit, one can easily drive on Walnut without hitting any red lights. This greatly decreases traffic, improves commute time, and increases gas mileage. It's a pleasure to drive through these timed lights.. except... The new light at Walnut and Smith is not incorporated with the other timed lights. It's a good light for the parents who are dropping their children off at the Project School, and I understand the need for it, but it appears that light is triggered by a vehicle waiting on Smith Ave, and the trigger occurs very quickly once a vehicle stops there to wait. I'm sure this is fine during school hours, as not many vehicles use that light, but during the morning traffic flow, many parents use that light, and that signal interrupts the flow of traffic on Walnut. This could be fixed by eliminating the trigger based on a waiting vehicle on Smith, and incorporating that light with the other timed lights. This traffic pattern works well for all of the other cross streets, I don't see why it would be an inconvenience for anyone waiting at the light on Smith. Thank you!
Explained situation and monitoring signal operation (offsets)
Recieved the following from Ms. Lorenzen Smith: "Greetings Andrew, Thank you so much for your thoughtful response and explanation. It did seem odd to me that several times the light would turn red at the Smith intersection without any cars waiting on Smith that would trigger the light. The need of the busses explains that mystery. I appreciate the time your team is taking to look into this. I'm sure with the amount of time the city puts towards creating a better fuel-economy by having more passengers ride the city busses, they also see the value in assisting with better fuel-economy for the cars on the road not having to stop-and-go unnecessarily through traffic lights. Have a lovely day!"
Emailed Ms. Lorenzen Smith response to her inquiry. In short, email states we are monitoring the signal and explains the history of the signal and what is likely causing her concern.
Tom provided minor edits to draft email. Discussed draft with Joe and he said it looked good.
Joe sent Lew at Bloomington Transit the following: "We adjusted the offset timing at Smith and Walnut today. Would you ask your drivers to take a look and see if it helps them? Your feed back will help us fine tune it." I sent a draft response for Ms. Lorenzen Smith to Tom, Joe, and Mike for review and comment.
Met with Joe VanDeventer and Mike Stinson to discuss signal operation. Smith signal is coordinated with other signals along Walnut; however, Bloomington Transit buses can communicate with the Smith signal to create gaps in traffic (i.e., take it out of coordination). Bloomington Transit is located in the SE corner of Walnut/3rd with driveways close to 3rd. Some buses need to merge all the way over on Walnut to turn left. 3rd/Walnut is the base point of the coordination system. They stated the primary problem for transit is proximity to 3rd and queues blocking driveway. Changes to signal timing at 3rd and Smith may be merited but would have implications on the entire system.
Discussed case with Tom Micuda to gather background information regarding the Smith/Walnut signal and its history associated with the Bloomington Transit center, the Smith Greenway, and Project School. Changes to signal operation may have merit but additional exploration is necessary.
City | Bloomington |
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State | IN |
Latitude | 39.162837982178 |
Longitude | -86.533584594727 |
Status | Case Date | Category | |
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closed | 6/5/2015 | Traffic Suggestions | |
closed | 6/5/2015 | Traffic Suggestions | |
closed | 3/13/2015 | Debris Removal (Sand, General Street Debris) |