"Red, Yellow, or Green? I choose.....GREEN!"
Ok, so I'd like to gripe today about the traffic lights in the Provo Orem area, particularly on 900E, University Parkway, and University Ave. Before I tell you my gripe, let me set the background:
I frequently come home to Orem from Provo late at night. I'm half asleep already, and there are virtually no cars on the road. Even if there are cars on the roads I mentioned above, there are never any cars on the smaller side roads. As I'm driving home then, it would seem plausible that I could expect a clear route; no cars in my way, no traffic jams, and certainly no traffic lights. However, it seems almost nightly that as I am traveling down one of these deserted roads that I inevitably come to a red light. I stop. I look around. I look around again. And then I wonder, "Why is this light red? There isn't another car in sight." I'm a patient person though, so I sit. And wait. And look around. And then the light changes to green...a green left turn arrow. Not helpful. I wait. And I sit. And I look around some more. And I think to myself, "What, aren't Provo's taxes high enough that they can afford to install motion sensor traffic lights?" Well, the light eventually turns green in my favor and then I'm on my way home, probably to be stopped like that at least once more.
Could someone please tell me why the traffic lights work this way. I think to one that bugs me the most is at the "intersection" of University Parkway and the entrance to the Marriott Center parking lot. I say "intersection" because it actually isn't a road at all. It's a place where a parking lot exits onto the main road. For crying out loud! What's the deal? If they can have traffic lights so sophisticated that the police can hook up little controllers to them and change them at their whim after every football game or big event, whey can't they tell the light outside the Marriott Center, "Hey! Don't turn green between the hours of 8pm and 6am unless a car comes up." Now, is that so difficult? I think not.
I frequently come home to Orem from Provo late at night. I'm half asleep already, and there are virtually no cars on the road. Even if there are cars on the roads I mentioned above, there are never any cars on the smaller side roads. As I'm driving home then, it would seem plausible that I could expect a clear route; no cars in my way, no traffic jams, and certainly no traffic lights. However, it seems almost nightly that as I am traveling down one of these deserted roads that I inevitably come to a red light. I stop. I look around. I look around again. And then I wonder, "Why is this light red? There isn't another car in sight." I'm a patient person though, so I sit. And wait. And look around. And then the light changes to green...a green left turn arrow. Not helpful. I wait. And I sit. And I look around some more. And I think to myself, "What, aren't Provo's taxes high enough that they can afford to install motion sensor traffic lights?" Well, the light eventually turns green in my favor and then I'm on my way home, probably to be stopped like that at least once more.
Could someone please tell me why the traffic lights work this way. I think to one that bugs me the most is at the "intersection" of University Parkway and the entrance to the Marriott Center parking lot. I say "intersection" because it actually isn't a road at all. It's a place where a parking lot exits onto the main road. For crying out loud! What's the deal? If they can have traffic lights so sophisticated that the police can hook up little controllers to them and change them at their whim after every football game or big event, whey can't they tell the light outside the Marriott Center, "Hey! Don't turn green between the hours of 8pm and 6am unless a car comes up." Now, is that so difficult? I think not.
posted by Ben Smith | 12:51 PM
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