Home > The Cone Zone > Archives > 2007 > May > 04 > Entry
Stop For The Red Light On I-95
If the idea of toll lanes on I-95 has your toes curling, how’s this one sound:
Traffic signals on the highway’s entrance ramps.
The state is working with consultants to refine a plan for ramp metering on I-95 in the Miami and may have it ready for use later this year.
Ramp meters are essentially red-and-green signals that control the flow of traffic entering the highway. They’re already used in other parts of the country.
Sensors measure the speed of traffic on I-95 and the volume of traffic, both on the highway and the entrance ramp. Computer software processes the information to determine the rate that drivers can get on I-95.
The intent is to keep traffic flowing and eliminate as much congestion as possible. The signals can be set at different intervals, depending on the time of day.
One of the benefits is to reduce crashes at ramp merges, making it easier for motorists to get on the highway.
As we all know, many drivers find it beneath their dignity to merge, so the idea has plenty of detractors.
The plan is to put meters on 22 ramps between Ives Dairy Road and Northwest 62nd Street.
This is in the same area where the state will be testing the High-Occupancy toll lanes.
Drivers will have the choice of using the toll lanes on a 22-mile stretch between I-595 in Fort Lauderdale and I-375 in Miami. By keeping traffic moving at speeds of at least 50 mph, commuters could cut their travel time in half.
Tolls would vary throughout the day, depending on demand. They would be $1 a mile during rush-hour and 15 cents late at night.
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Comments
By Not in front of me
May 4, 2007 3:37 PM | Link to this
Almost daily I see drivers in the far right lane who see a car that is about to merge into their lane, in front of them, speed up trying to beat the merging car, instead of moving over one lane, or ease off the gas (not hit the brakes) to let the car merge in front of them.
And then you have the drivers that are merging onto a busy road trying to do so at the very last minute, often hitting their brakes while merging, to get ahead of as many cars as they can despite having had ample space to merge before then.
And then you have the drivers that try and merge at a speed that is a lot lower than that of the traffic they are merging into.
I doubt that metering on the on-ramps is going to resolve this type of behavior.