New light at Parker and Valley

jamie said:

At first I really like it because I was coming down Parker and got a nice green left arrow which was great (because I was turning left).

But after seeing the backlog on Valley - I think this light is really dumb.  It makes more sense if there's a left turn lane.  But if the first car isn't turning left- it's just going to back up the traffic.

Thoughts?

I haven’t driven through that area just yet.  But couple that with the new lights going in by Stop and Shop and 1st St, Valley is going to slow down a lot. And I think that will push lots of traffic on to Prospect, Wyoming and Ridgewood in both towns. 

The light is helpful, but with valley so slow moving lately, it is not as helpful. Back to square one. I avoid valley these days. 

mrincredible said:

I haven’t driven through that area just yet.  But couple that with the new lights going in by Stop and Shop and 1st St, Valley is going to slow down a lot. And I think that will push lots of traffic on to Prospect, Wyoming and Ridgewood in both towns. 

Prospect Street already backs up at the traffic light at the Tuscan Road intersection, causing ever increasing traffic on Summit Avenue, including the stretch which has no sidewalk on either side of the street.  

joan_crystal said:

Prospect Street already backs up at the traffic light at the Tuscan Road intersection, causing ever increasing traffic on Summit Avenue, including the stretch which has no sidewalk on either side of the street.  

yes, and they drive on that stretch like they are on the highway too. Fast and giving no recognition at all to pedestrians.

The primary purpose of the entire project is pedestrian safety.  Every comment I have seen has been from a driver complaining about being slowed down.  Of course every light will need to be adjusted more than once, but traffic speed is not the goal 

jamie said:

But if the first car isn't turning left- it's just going to back up the traffic.

I’m not following you, jamie. Is the westbound Parker light only a green arrow at the start, preventing cars at the front of the line from going straight or turning right?

DanDietrich said:

The primary purpose of the entire project is pedestrian safety. Every comment I have seen has been from a driver complaining about being slowed down. Of course every light will need to be adjusted more than once, but traffic speed is not the goal

Drivers turning left onto Valley from the Stop & Shop lot may appreciate the new light there.

ETA: Or crossing Valley from BuyRite to the Stop & Shop, which I just remembered is a habit of mine.

DanDietrich said:

The primary purpose of the entire project is pedestrian safety.  Every comment I have seen has been from a driver complaining about being slowed down.  Of course every light will need to be adjusted more than once, but traffic speed is not the goal 

I’m 100% for pedestrian safety and I’m not complaining about the new lights. I’m commenting on what I think will be an unintended consequence of the addition of lights to Valley.  I’m looking forward to being able to more easily navigate exiting the parking lot for Stop and Shop, but I also appreciate how it will make that intersection safer for pedestrians. 

Likewise the light at First St and Valley. There are lots of businesses right there and subsequently a lot of pedestrian traffic. I have worked really hard, when driving, to notice when people are waiting to cross there. Sometimes I goof and then I feel guilty. Other times I stop and the oncoming traffic doesn’t. 

And I agree with Joan that there’s been a big uptick in traffic on parallel streets. I used to live on Summit Ave and often observed people driving at unsafe speeds. And with the new pylons to prevent people from passing on the right it’s going to be even more tempting to speed on side streets. 

At some point, perhaps, the two towns will just become inhospitable enough for people who are trying to drive through as fast as they can that traffic will ease. I would welcome that. I’ve been passed on the left too many times on streets like Ridgewood by people who are clearly feeling entitled to get to their destination as quickly as possible.

I want to be clear my post up above shouldn't be seen as against the new lights. I am optimistic about them, especially the Stop & Shop light

But something needs to be done about that stretch of Summit. There is no room for a sidewalk but maybe close it off somewhere to prevent it being used as an alternative to Prospect, which is now being used as an alternative to Valley .... Or put in speed bumps. Or make it one way which would provide room for a sidewalk. My husband was almost run over there just a few days ago, and I have had some near misses myself. 

DaveSchmidt said:

jamie said:

But if the first car isn't turning left- it's just going to back up the traffic.

I’m not following you, jamie. Is the westbound Parker light only a green arrow at the start, preventing cars at the front of the line from going straight or turning right?

Hmm, thought it was only green left - I'll double check.

Northbound Valley was backed up until Jefferson.

HatsOff said:

I want to be clear my post up above shouldn't be seen as against the new lights. I am optimistic about them, especially the Stop & Shop light

But something needs to be done about that stretch of Summit. There is no room for a sidewalk but maybe close it off somewhere to prevent it being used as an alternative to Prospect, which is now being used as an alternative to Valley .... Or put in speed bumps. Or make it one way which would provide room for a sidewalk. My husband was almost run over there just a few days ago, and I have had some near misses myself. 

Every corner on that stretch of Summit has a stop sign, which should slow down traffic considerably.  The problem is that few motorists stop at the stop signs.

ok, - looks like on Parker going west has a green arrow and solid green at the same time.

I don't think there's a left arrow option going east.

And no left arrow options on Valley.

So - maybe not as bad as I first surmised - we will see.

jamie said:

I don't think there's a left arrow option going east.

Right, that one I experienced the other day. It’s now a delayed green (presumably for the westbound arrow).

Parker & Valley is a great example of infrastructure that needs to be updated as we build high density housing in already congested areas.

yahooyahoo said:

Parker & Valley is a great example of infrastructure that needs to be updated as we build high density housing in already congested areas.

Sadly we the people have been saying this for a couple of decades now…but now traffic is backed up all over the main roads… those same people claiming we were being alarmists and cranky have long gone sold their homes and gone west and south. 

Yesterday after 5 - traffic backed up from valley to Maplewood ave.  Not sure what the wait was on Maplewood ave - but I’ve never seen it that bad.

DanDietrich said:

The primary purpose of the entire project is pedestrian safety.  Every comment I have seen has been from a driver complaining about being slowed down.  Of course every light will need to be adjusted more than once, but traffic speed is not the goal 

The comment right before this one mentioned pedestrians.

jamie said:

Yesterday after 5 - traffic backed up from valley to Maplewood ave.  Not sure what the wait was on Maplewood ave - but I’ve never seen it that bad.

On Parker?

yes - on parker from valley to maplewood ave.  It's usually bad around then - I've seen it back up before the train tracks, but not like this.

Given the long-term trend of more development and the short-term trend of traffic-slowing measures, I'm afraid we just need to get used to these kind of delays.

Smedley said:

Given the long-term trend of more development and the short-term trend of traffic-slowing measures, I'm afraid we just need to get used to these kind of delays.

One of the many reasons we need more dedicated bike lanes and infrastructure.

yahooyahoo said:

One of the many reasons we need more dedicated bike lanes and infrastructure.

What about more sidewalks?  Some of our most trafficked streets have sidewalk on only one side of the street.  Some have no sidewalk at all.  As we add more motor vehicles to the mix, it becomes harder for people to get around on foot at the very time when encouraging walking is a way to reduce pressure on our roadways and open up parking spaces for those who need to drive.

joan_crystal said:

yahooyahoo said:

One of the many reasons we need more dedicated bike lanes and infrastructure.

What about more sidewalks?  Some of our most trafficked streets have sidewalk on only one side of the street.  Some have no sidewalk at all.  As we add more motor vehicles to the mix, it becomes harder for people to get around on foot at the very time when encouraging walking is a way to reduce pressure on our roadways and open up parking spaces for those who need to drive.

We can have both. It's not one or the other.

yahooyahoo said:

Smedley said:

Given the long-term trend of more development and the short-term trend of traffic-slowing measures, I'm afraid we just need to get used to these kind of delays.

One of the many reasons we need more dedicated bike lanes and infrastructure.

Bike lanes are great in theory, but even if there were great bike lanes I find it hard to imagine that would materially reduce the number of drivers out and about at 8 am or 5 pm on a weekday. 

We need a range of solutions. More bike infrastructure, more public transportation, more walking infrastructure, traffic calming, better urban planning, and so on.

It’s people driving through from Union to Essex county. Valley is a major artery. It’s not local people riding bicycles from south orange to maplewood. If you drive through valley at rush hour from Springfield avenue all the way up to orange through Scotland rd to high street you will notice it. The parkway is backed up every single day. More people are using the north/south roads now it’s cheaper than the parkway. 

We need better light timing for traffic flow. And less car honking. The honking near my house is so much worse than it has ever been before.

Whatever solutions are finally implemented will have to take into consideration a number of the factors described above. In summary, most of our roadways are too narrow for complete streets with dedicated lanes for vehicular traffic, bicycles, foot traffic, parking, delivery drop off locations, public transportation stops, emergency vehicle access and all the other demands that have been put on our roadways in the 100+ years since they were developed.  Whatever solution we come up with, assuming there is one, will have to take into account space limitations, internal and external pressures on roadway use, a culture that encourages jumping into a car to go even a few blocks, an aging population that may not be able to walk even short distances, and a problem getting enough riders to use surface transportation throughout the day to make expanded public transportation viable.  

I've liked the way West Orange handles busy intersections like Mt. Pleasant/Prospect - one of the four streets gets to go and make any turns while the other three wait. And then each one gets a turn - it's been a while since I drove there regularly, so I'd have to check to see if that's still the case. You wait longer to get your turn, but once it is your turn you can move unimpeded. Don't know if that would work in our area, though. But what is there now isn't helping very much.

cody said:

I've liked the way West Orange handles busy intersections like Mt. Pleasant/Prospect - one of the four streets gets to go and make any turns while the other three wait. And then each one gets a turn - it's been a while since I drove there regularly, so I'd have to check to see if that's still the case. You wait longer to get your turn, but once it is your turn you can move unimpeded. Don't know if that would work in our area, though. But what is there now isn't helping very much.

Do pedestrians also get an interval during which they can cross safely or have these intersections been given over solely to vehicular traffic?