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American Morning

Retiming Traffic Signals: Putting the Breaks on Gridlock

Aired May 08, 2001 - 09:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The high price of gasoline has almost everyone out there looking for ways to save fuel and money, and one idea may also save some of the time that drivers spend idling at red lights.

CNN's Lilian Kim takes a look at how retiming traffic signals can put the brakes on gridlock.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LILIAN KIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All across the U.S., commuters greet a new day and face the same old problem -- traffic -- but, on this stretch of road, motorists aren't seeing red. They're getting the green red light.

PEG NIELSEN, MOTORIST: I've cut off at least five minutes or more, and when you're running late, five minutes can make a major difference.

KIM: Seattle is one of a handful of cities retiming its traffic signals. The concept: reduce the reds and maximize the greens on heavily traveled streets. Engineers spend months monitoring traffic flows, then use that information to reprogram the lights to current conditions. The result: faster drive times anywhere from 8 to 50 percent.

BRIAN KEMPER, SEATTLE TRAFFIC ENGINEER: Anybody can go out there and say they've tweaked a few signals and say they've done their job, but, in order to do it right, it does take a lot of staff hours.

KIM (on camera): Gathering all that data adds up to about a million dollars, and while city leaders are touting the plan as a success, some motorists aren't so sure it's making a difference.

JOHN NEVERDOWSKI, MOTORIST: It's a mess because the lanes are narrow. So even changing the lights really don't help because some of the bigger buses and trucks and that get to where they really crowd you out.

KIM (voice-over): But others are convinced their traveling at light speed.

NIELSEN: The lights -- it's -- they all work for you, and so traffic just totally disappears. There's no traffic at all. It's amazing.

KIM: Proving that theory that timing is everything to keep traffic moving.

Lilian Kim, CNN, Seattle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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