Driver sounds off about Baltimore traffic flow
Getting There receives many complaints about traffic in Baltimore -- particularly the synchronization of lights. But Donna Aldridge of Baltimore dis a particularly good job of summing up the headaches.
Here's what she had to say:
I have lived in Baltimore for about 9 years now and I don’t understand the traffic flow in Baltimore City. I am thinking it is something the local folks understand. I do not.The traffic moves much slower than most cities. People drive slower in the left lane, don’t use turn signals and constantly talk on their cell phones.
I understand there are bad drivers in most cities, but why so many in Baltimore? OK, not your problem.
But the traffic lights contribute to the slow traffic. The timing on a lot of the lights are so long that I have to be creative getting through town to avoid certain intersections. I learned that people in Baltimore are creatures of habit. They go to work one way, everyday. I don’t think people even try another route or don’t know another route. Baltimore is a big city. I find myself the only car on other streets going downtown to avoid the most travelled routes because the lights are so long.
One is University Parkway and St Paul Sts. That light has to be about 3 minutes long. The morning traffic flow on St Paul is not that heavy even in morning rush hour to keep people sitting for 3 minutes. Then what happens is St Paul backs up and the next intersection (33rd street) gets backed up and you have a big bottle neck when it doesn’t need to be. I can’t tell you how many times I have missed my train at Penn Station because I got stuck at this light and subsequently, the traffic flow slows going down St Paul all the way to Penn Station, past Preston etc. I think people sit so long at lights, it takes them awhile to remember they are driving to get going again.
Also Monument and Howard is about 3 minutes. Why ? The light rail comes maybe once and you have to sit and wait for what, traffic, there is none. Even though the city has not developed as fast as it should, at least the traffic lights should align with the traffic flow or lack thereof.
Why can’t the lights be synched at maybe a minute and the traffic flow would be better? It might interfere with cell phone conversations because now people have to pay attention. The longer the light, the longer people talk on their cell phone. I have seen this with my own eyes. Once the light turns green they forget they are driving and drive doing about 10 mph.
Any insight you can give me would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Donna Aldridge
I'll forward this email and see whether officials at the Baltimore Department of Transportation have anything to say about the traffic light issue. There's little the city can do about cell phone use as long as state law prevents the police from pulling over users for that infraction alone. As it stands, the motorists have to be committing some other offense for officers to make a stop.
Comments
Synchronized traffic lights are a danger to pedestrians. If anything, the city should time the signals to force drivers to stop more often.
Posted by: Bill | June 22, 2011 11:50 AM
I agree this is a huge problem!
Two other AWFUL traffic light intersections, in my experience, are Russell Street and Washington Boulevard, and of all places Fleet and Patterson Park in Canton. Seriously, when going southbound on Patterson Park you can literally sit a red light at Fleet for 3 or 4 minutes. Yet there is barely any traffic flow on Fleet Street. It makes no sense at all.
As for the former, I understand there is a lot of construction, but you can also wait up to 10 minutes on Russell Street in traffic (especially travelling eastbound) to get through the intersection with Washington.
Posted by: J | June 22, 2011 11:59 AM
Just a comment about one Baltimore feature - that many drivers wait for a second or so after the light has changed before moving. This doesn't matter whether it's a normal light or a green arrow. I can see two reasons for this other than the obvious (dozing/cell phone). One is, in Baltimore, more than in most other places I've lived in the east, there are generally two, three or even more drivers who run the red light; waiting for the traffic to finish running the red is a personal safety issue. The other is, in Baltimore specifically, it is usually possible to tell when the light is about to change by the fact that the people who have been waiting on the corner decide tocross the street. This makes sure that they take several seconds of the now-green light to get across, blocking traffic all the way. Again, waiting at the green may just become a habit.
Posted by: JohnR | June 22, 2011 12:27 PM
I've commented on these topics before, but admittedly a few intersections need work, I think the City moves remarkably well considering the high traffic loads. It's certainly better than Baltimore County or nearby DC.
I'm going to take a stab and suggest the light at St. Paul and University is to accomodate the large amount of northbound traffic coming from Calvert which continues west on University to St. Paul, Charles, and points west.
Fells Point and Canton are messed up, in part, almost certainly due to the fact the City has monkeyed with the signal system to increase throughput on Fleet because of the high traffic load east and west and the ridiculous change to the pedestrian crossings that have been covered recently.
For north to south commuters, heading down Greenmount to get downtown might save some time, provided one is starting south of the Waverly district, because there's too much congestion there to make it worth. The only street folks don't take as often as they could--would be Guilford Ave, probably in lieu of St. Paul. But Cathedral, St. Paul, the JFX, MLK are really the only other options, and they are already heavily traveled so I think Baltimore commuters are smarter the writer gives us credit for.
Posted by: N. Payer | June 22, 2011 12:33 PM
"This makes sure that they take several seconds of the now-green light to get across, blocking traffic all the way."
JohnR - you aren't suggesting that pedestrians don't have the right-of-way in a crosswalk over turning vehicles? It's actually been my experience that cars turning don't yield the right-of-way to pedestrians when the light changes, despite the law, and the multitude of signs, stating "Yield to pedestrians in crosswalk." Not my behavior, but I imagine most pedestrians anticipate the light to get ahead of these drivers - since it's often the only way to get across the street.
In addition, most traffic lights have a one-second delay between signals - this gives drivers an extra second to run the light. Combine that with the pedestrians jumping the walk signal, and I'm amazed there aren't more accidents. Bad behavior abounds on all sides; if we all realize we're not entitled to operate outside the law, we'd all be a lot happier.
Posted by: Chris | June 22, 2011 1:18 PM
The best "what the..?" traffic light is the one on O'Donnell around Newkirk and Macon. There isn't even a cross street -- just entrances to two moribund factory gates-- but there's a red light which regularly stops traffic for absolutely no reason at all.
Posted by: mary macdonald | June 22, 2011 1:26 PM
I've often complained that the traffic light sequencing along the intersections of Howard Street causes the light rail to more insanely slow. There is no reason the lights should change red to make an actively moving train stop.
Posted by: CB | June 22, 2011 1:52 PM
My personal "what the ..." traffic light is at Moravia and Walther in NE. Most of the traffic is actually on Moravia, which is also only one lane in each direction. But the green light is much longer for Walther, which ironically has much less traffic but more lanes.
During both the morning and evening rush hours we get stuck at that light waiting for the imaginary traffic on Walther to pass.
Posted by: Mrs Dalloway | June 22, 2011 3:29 PM
One of the major problems with Baltimore drivers -- red light runner, cell phone yakkers, no turn signals -- is that the Baltimore City police do not enforce the traffic laws. Period. Maybe if the driver is waving a gun, they would.
But otherwise, no enforcement.
Posted by: Gunpowder Chronicle | June 22, 2011 8:04 PM
A number of years ago the lights heading into downtown used to be synched so that if you drove 32 mph you didn't get a red light.
Posted by: Linda Kelly | June 22, 2011 9:46 PM