@ medickinson
snarl- up to disperse. This means that sometimes on- ramp lights are activated even though the motorway traffic appears to be free- flowing when you get on.
Auckland’s on- ramp signals use an algorithm based on the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System ( SCATS). Inductive loop sensors placed along the motorway, at every on- ramp and on some arterial feeder roads, detect a vehicles presence in each lane.
The lights don’t just increase motorway travel speeds and throughput. They have also been shown to reduce crashes at high- risk dangerous merging spots by up to 34 per cent.
Because they take a network approach, ramp signals are designed to have the biggest benefits for those making long journeys. For trips less than three ramp exits long, you may be better off taking a non- motorway route instead.
Many of us still blame the on- ramp lights for the increased congestion on our roads, but it’s worth noting that in last 12 months, 47,730 additional cars were registered in Auckland. This rate was higher than the rate of population growth. Too many cars on our fixed capacity road network is a much more likely explanation for the increased congestion.
Additionally, on- ramp red light- runners who ignore the signals are still picked up by the sensors, which immediately compensate with a delayed red light sequence, so increasing congestion — and wait time for those further back in the queue.
With new public transport routes becoming available to us, taking spaceefficient car alternative transport options will help the ramp signals to do their job.
So, the next time you call in to say you are “stuck in traffic”; remember you are traffic.