FoCo traffic question (Fort Collins: move, cars, commute)

[iheartcle]

I sure hope we have a planner on here because this has been annoying the heck out of me. What's up with FoCo and the green light on turning lanes? You could have 20 cars idling at a red light, and if there is one car in the turning lane, coming the opposite direction, the green arrow is given to that one car, while the remaining 20 cars are left idling for the next 10-15 seconds.

I hope I'm making this clear, so picture a 2 lane intersection, with a turning lane as well each direction. At a red light, you have 15 cars going westbound, 4 cars going eastbound, and 1 car in the turning lane going northbound. This seems to happen all over Fort Collins and it annoys the heck out of me. Instead of giving a green light to both the west and eastbound lanes of traffic, the eastbound traffic gets a green light, the northbound turning lane with 1 car gets an arrow, and the westbound lane with 15 idling cars have to wait for the 1 car to turn north and the green arrow to expire.

I understand giving a green arrow to the turning lane in times of high traffic or congested areas when the turning lane gets backed up, it this is not the case the vast majority of times. IMO traffic would move much smother if the lanes with more traffic get the green first, not just the turning lane, especially when it has one or two cars in it. Any planners on the board that could shed some light on this?

The way I see it it creates a longer commute time for the majority of drivers as well as creates more idling at red lights, (more co2 in the atmosphere)

[Davros]

It's to prevent people in the turn lane from potentially having to wait multiple light cycles before they get a chance to turn.

You can't have a "Pittsburgh left" sort of system in Colorado, because the people going straight don't wait long enough for the left turner to slip in a quick turn before traffic starts.

Therefore, you have to give the left turners a chance using traffic signals.

What's 10 to 15 seconds anyways ? Leave for work 3 minutes earlier and it won't be a problem any more.