No deal yet on using Sunpass for tolls outside Florida

Q: Can you let me know when SunPass will be accepted by the E-Z Pass system in the Northeast? I’m traveling up to New York this month. Derek Remsen, WiltonManors A: It’s in the works, but no deal yet. Negotiations continue between the two dozen toll agencies involved, including Florida’s Turnpike, and each has their own concerns. SunPass is only accepted in Florida while E-Z Pass can be used in states from Virginia to Maine as well as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

“Our main concern is making sure our SunPass customers are taken care of in a fair and equitable way,” said turnpike spokeswoman Christa Deason.

Q: My two kids take Tri-Rail every day from Boca Raton to magnet schools in West Palm Beach. After dropping them off at the Ya- mato Road station, I return home heading west on Spanish River Boulevard. At 7 a.m. the signal at Spanish River and Military Trail is set to sequence green twice for traffic on Military, omitting a green signal for traffic turning from Spanish River to southbound Military. I have timed my wait at that signal at an unbelievable six minutes. Please, can you help!

Rick Gordon, Boca Raton

A: Timing is everything. Before 7 a.m., the signal is an uncoordinated pattern, meaning the full signal length varies by demand or the number of vehicles. But all directions get at least the minimum amount of green time.

At 7 a.m. the signal transitions to a coordinated pattern. To do so, it gets in sync by shortening or lengthening the cycle length. That process can

take a few minutes. When signals are synchronized, they adhere to a 160-second cycle, which is the amount of time it takes to get through all the movements at the intersection.

“It is true that any non-coordinated movements may get short timed during the transition period,” said Emmanuel Posadas, Boca Raton’s traffic engineer. “Also, cycle lengths may feel longer than usual for about two cycles (between) 7 a.m. to 7:05 a.m.

City officials say it’s unlikely drivers are waiting six minutes unless a vehicle on Spanish River waiting to turn left onto Military drove past the white stop line and wasn’t detected. The typical wait time during the transition period is about 3 minutes,15 seconds.

“The signal thinks there are no cars and would not cycle for the green arrow,” Posadas said. “Being skipped once, and being in transition would account for that six-minute wait.”

Q: Since Wiles Road was extended over Florida’s Turnpike, traffic at the intersection of Wiles and Powerline Road has increased. It backs up on Wiles at rush hour because only a few cars can make it across the intersection. Why not re-time the traffic light?

Junior Blanc, Pompano Beach

A: Broward County traffic engineers are implementing new timing patterns to provide longer green lights for Wiles traffic so that most vehicles clear the intersection within one cycle of the signal, without impacting motorists on Powerline.