Traffic light timing

Submitted by njmids t3_yp466k in jerseycity

Is it just me, or has the timing of traffic lights gotten progressively worse over the past few years? I understand the city is trying to stop people from speeding, but with the reduction in travel lanes across JC the poor light timing creates so much unnecessary traffic. There has to be a better way to increase road safety without making it impossible to travel through more than one green at a time.

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possums101 t1_ivhgsw3 wrote

I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this but you’re gonna have to cope with this minor inconvenience so people don’t get hit by cars and die.

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njmids OP t1_ivhyty2 wrote

Do you have any actual data that it reduces fatalities? Most people get hit by turning cars and light timing does nothing to protect pedestrians in crosswalks.

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possums101 t1_ivi09j3 wrote

As I sit on my couch eating dinner watching football no I do not. NPR did a story on how Hoboken was able to achieve no pedestrian deaths in 4 years and changing the way traffic signals operated was part of that. I hate driving through Hoboken. It sucks. But it sucks for a good reason.

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rbastid t1_ivipers wrote

That article leaves out that Hoboken had 1 traffic death a year for the previous 3 years before this was implemented, and 0 deaths in 2014, which means what they enacted didn't actually do anything, as the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 were statistical blips.

It's like if Hoboken put out huge statues to scare away Lions, and then claimed the statues worked.

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njmids OP t1_ivi1l66 wrote

I support the things the article mentioned, daylighting and leading pedestrian intervals. Timing lights so you stop on every block is not the solution. Driving in NYC is way more efficient and they have reduced fatalities significantly.

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JCwhatimsayin t1_ivi2byf wrote

NYC recently lowered the speed limit city wide to 25mph and rolled out 2000 speed cameras.

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njmids OP t1_ivi2g75 wrote

Even that would be better than stopping at every single light.

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jersey-city-park t1_ivic0f9 wrote

It sucks but its purposely like that so people arent going 60 mph on Washington boulevard. Too many the fast and the furious wannabe losers around

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njmids OP t1_ivichbi wrote

The city could install speed bumps. Anything is better then the current light timing.

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ThanosBigPurpleCok t1_ivil8us wrote

This is why I don't like driving down JFK or taking the 10/119 in the late night hours.

I get it's for pedestrian safety, but goddamn, it once took me almost 15 minutes to get from Communipaw to Bartholdi at 1am because I'm stopping at almost every block.

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njmids OP t1_ivjo658 wrote

It’s actually comical sometimes. They couldn’t make it less efficient if they tried.

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Ask-Downtown t1_ivkh9hk wrote

Speed cameras would be more efficient and better for the environment. But we can't have those in jersey, unfortunately.

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njmids OP t1_ivkqtt6 wrote

Even speed bumps would be better. Forcing everyone to stop and idle at every light has significant disadvantages.

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