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How exactly are those red/green lights used on entrance ramps like the Northern State Parkway? I have almost never seen these lights on but during a holiday last year when there was no traffic, the light was red on the entrance to the NSP on the entrance ramp on Roslyn Road. Then more recently on the L.I.E. in Queens one of these lights was on, again in light traffic. It feels dumb to come to a complete stop, wait, then accelerate when there is no traffic. I don't usually get on highways at rush hour so I don't know if they are in use then but otherwise I never see them in use except on these couple of occasions.
How exactly are those red/green lights used on entrance ramps like the Northern State Parkway? I have almost never seen these lights on but during a holiday last year when there was no traffic, the light was red on the entrance to the NSP on the entrance ramp on Roslyn Road. Then more recently on the L.I.E. in Queens one of these lights was on, again in light traffic. It feels dumb to come to a complete stop, wait, then accelerate when there is no traffic. I don't usually get on highways at rush hour so I don't know if they are in use then but otherwise I never see them in use except on these couple of occasions.
They are usually on going east on the LIE during rush hour. I think its used to make the ram safer and to try to stop the right lane from backing up at each onramp.
They are usually on going east on the LIE during rush hour. I think its used to make the ram safer and to try to stop the right lane from backing up at each onramp.
I can only see the reason being to control the amount of traffic going onto the parkway itself over time. Control traffic flow. There will be a back up on the right lane at the onramp regardless.
How exactly are those red/green lights used on entrance ramps like the Northern State Parkway? I have almost never seen these lights on but during a holiday last year when there was no traffic, the light was red on the entrance to the NSP on the entrance ramp on Roslyn Road. Then more recently on the L.I.E. in Queens one of these lights was on, again in light traffic. It feels dumb to come to a complete stop, wait, then accelerate when there is no traffic. I don't usually get on highways at rush hour so I don't know if they are in use then but otherwise I never see them in use except on these couple of occasions.
These lights are called ramp meters. Yes, they are to regulate the traffic that enters a highway in order to improve the flow on the highway. If you saw one that was on during a holiday when there was no traffic, it is probably set to turn on at a specific time of day, and did not know that it was a holiday. If you see one turned off during periods of heavy traffic, that happens when the queue on the ramp gets too long, and the ramp meters become counterproductive. In case you were wondering, yes, they are legally enforceable, and if you ignore one, you can get a ticket for running a red light.
Location: Prince Georges County, MD (formerly Long Island, NY)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mitsguy2001
These lights are called ramp meters. Yes, they are to regulate the traffic that enters a highway in order to improve the flow on the highway. If you saw one that was on during a holiday when there was no traffic, it is probably set to turn on at a specific time of day, and did not know that it was a holiday. If you see one turned off during periods of heavy traffic, that happens when the queue on the ramp gets too long, and the ramp meters become counterproductive. In case you were wondering, yes, they are legally enforceable, and if you ignore one, you can get a ticket for running a red light.
^^ What he said.
Ever notice that, during rush hours, traffic on the Northern State is actually worse at the interchanges than in between? I believe the lights are supposed to mitigate this. The problem is that, like Mits said, sometimes it backfires by placing too much demand on the ramps. A case in point example is the ramp from Marcus Road to the eastbound NSP in Lake Success. I think this is why, on a lot of newer freeways, they're extending the length of on ramps to make the meters more effective during rush hour, and to make accelerating to highway speed easier outside of rush hour.
These lights are called ramp meters. Yes, they are to regulate the traffic that enters a highway in order to improve the flow on the highway. If you saw one that was on during a holiday when there was no traffic, it is probably set to turn on at a specific time of day, and did not know that it was a holiday. If you see one turned off during periods of heavy traffic, that happens when the queue on the ramp gets too long, and the ramp meters become counterproductive. In case you were wondering, yes, they are legally enforceable, and if you ignore one, you can get a ticket for running a red light.
The one I saw on a holiday was mid-morning, a time when I have never seen them in operation. Frankly I never see them in use because I don't get on the parkways/L.I.E. in the direction of rush hour traffic and take local roads instead. I really was unaware that they are used on a regular basis. Thanks for the info.
I've seen those lights on both east and westbound on the NSP, and it's probably been around rush hours.
Yes, the problem here is the length of the ramps, which were built so long ago, back when cars were slower and there weren't so many of us driving! That and the fact that people already on the parkway don't move over to the left lane to allow on-ramp drivers to get in traffic.
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