Albuquerque Journal, N.M., Road Warrior column

Source: Albuquerque Journal, N.迷你倉M.Sept. 30--TRAMWAY SIGNALS MAY GET MORE IN SYNCH: Greg Miliatis emails "I travel north on Tramway, between Indian School and Academy, and for at least the past year, I -- and essentially all cars -- get caught at virtually every single traffic light, every day, regardless of the time of day."Annoying as it is to waste time by stopping at every single traffic light," Greg says, "it's actually a pollution problem as well. Accelerating to 45-50 mph six to eight times over a few miles burns far more fuel than driving at a steady, posted speed limit."Typically, at least 50 to 60 vehicles are stopped at each light to let a handful of cars from the cross street(s) pass. It seems like it'd be a fairly easy thing to re-time the lights so that vehicles on Tramway wouldn't get stopped at every single light, thus reducing pollution."In theory, maybe. In reality, with cross traffic and pedestrians, not so easy at all.David Mitchell, director of Operations and Maintenance for Bernalillo County, says Tramway signals are "synchronized with a specific amount of time from one signal green to the next called 'offsets.'"But as the county has said many times before, it is a delicate balancing act, and all it takes is one push of a pedestrian crosswalk to throw the whole system out of whack for multiple cycles.So the county wants to expand the adaptive signal system it is currently trying out on Alameda to Tramway -- and which has gotten rave reviews except for two weeks ago when it was off so the county could get baseline flow data -- and is looking into a federal "congestion mitigation" highway grant to pay for it."We think it has maybe even more potential on Tramway," Mitchell says, "because of the impossible inability to satisfy both the side street waiting times, when it looks like nobody's on Tramway at points during the day or late night, and people who do not want to wait for that coordination-wave to get to them, vs. the folks that want green all the way on Tramway."RIO BRAVO/SECOND RAIL ARM ADJUSTED: Back in June a reader voiced a concern about the arm at the train tracks blocking an ambulance long before the Rail Runner arrived. The county checked it out, in reference to federal requirements for train arms, and said it was operating correctly.But the county stayed on the case regarding what it could do with the signals, and there's an update. Last week signal expert Robert Bak文件倉r "finished reprogramming Second Street and Rio Bravo to run eastbound and westbound after a train passes for up to 100 seconds, then it goes back into coordination, no matter what."Mitchell explains there had been automatic left turns after the gates rise, and Baker "added an artificial two long green cycles in the otherwise synchronized timing for Rio Bravo to clear the track crossing after a train stops."Baker says he watched the crossing "with a southbound Rail Runner, and it served 60 seconds when the arms went up then another full 100 seconds when the arms went up again." And while "southbound Second back(ed) up almost to Rossmoor," that "isn't bad considering the amount of Rio Bravo traffic that was cleared."NOT ALL STATES OFFER FREE PARKING TO HANDICAPPED: David Blacher emails a thanks for the recent column pointing out handicap placard/license holders (can) park in metered spaces in New Mexico for free. "However, although the regulations are as you represented in both California and New Mexico, and at least 20 other states in which I have driven and have direct personal experience, not all states are as enlightened."David says that on a recent trip "I discovered that the city of Atlanta has no heart or understanding of the needs of those of us with limited mobility, and the proper standard documentation and placards. They have no such allowance. It appears that their private contractor who manages and enforces parking regulations gleefully sees out-of-state cripples as nothing more than a ready revenue stream, and the city supports them and is happy to get its piece of the pie. Please make your readers aware of this."According to parkatlanta.org, the city's parking regulations are designed to "help maximize available parking, maintain traffic flow and enhance public safety." There is no reference to waiving meter fees for handicapped placards.Another item to put in the know-before-you-go file.Assistant editorial page editor D'Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays and West Siders and Rio Ranchoans on Saturdays. Reach her at 823-3858; road@abqjournal.com; P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103; or go to ABQjournal. com/traffic to read previous columns and join in the conversation.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Visit the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) at .abqjournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services存倉