[Mpls] Freeway ramp meters in Minneapolis

[Dan]

"There's real science behind freeway ramp metering, as I understand it
semaphore-type signals (modeled on good old city stoplights) provide a
steady but variable drip of traffic so highways don't come to a standstill
(at least not as often)."

That "real science" is total bunk. It asks me to disbelieve my own
experiences. I was driving for a living when the DOT switched the meters
off. I was on the road 8 hours a day every day, all over the metro during
that experiment. Traffic was a dream. I prayed they'd never turn back on.

"But in rush hours I've seen shorter city on-ramps back up more quickly than
their more roomy suburban counterparts, and the surrounding urban
environment can't handle the overflow as easily as more sprawlingly built
areas can. Sometimes that means multiblock gridlock in the neighborhood,
with queueing cars blocking thoroughfares, bike lanes, crosswalks, alleys
and even intersections."

This is a real problem I've observed for some time. Solution: Turn off the
meters!


Dan McGrath
http://www.subversivepictures.com
http://www.smokeoutgary.org