Onramp meters

[DingDingDao]

Onramp meters are so fucking useless. The one next to my place controls onramp traffic flow for two lanes merging to one onramp lane. I get that it's designed to control the flow of traffic onto the freeway. But the last two days, I diligently stopped at the meter, like I always do, while the asshole in the lane next to me just whizzed right through, completely ignoring the red light.

For fuck's sake, what's the point of onramp meters if there's no penalty for stopping? In the history of modern transportation worldwide, I'm pretty sure the total number of tickets issued for running an onramp meter red light is less than 10. Ever. Either put a camera there and mail people red-light tickets, or give up trying to control onramp traffic flow.

This morning, I got on the onramp, and that stupid meter was red. I ran it. And it felt gooooooood.

EDIT: Example, since someone asked

CLIFFS:

1. Fuck onramp meters

 

[olds]

 

[PottedMeat]

what area is this? i've never seen an onramp meter - only a long highway onramp that turns into a merge lane.

 

[DingDingDao]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat

Thanks, I like cookies. And I feel much better now.

 

[Barfo]

cool story bro

 

[OCGuy]

I dont think I have ever even considered stopping at those things.

 

[DingDingDao]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
what area is this? i've never seen an onramp meter - only a long highway onramp that turns into a merge lane.

Southern california. Onramp onto the 405.
This example is from Arizona, but you get the idea.

 

[DingDingDao]

Originally posted by: OCguy
I dont think I have ever even considered stopping at those things.

LOL. I think I just joined that club.

 

[OCGuy]

Originally posted by: DingDingDao

Originally posted by: OCguy
I dont think I have ever even considered stopping at those things.

LOL. I think I just joined that club.

Actually I will sometimes if there is a line. It is annoying when it is red and you are the only one around. I just pretend I dropped a CD and look down.

Usually all those things do is encourage racing. Whenever i'm in our Mustang GT, people think we are lined up at the christmas tree and try and get around me.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: DingDingDao

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
what area is this? i've never seen an onramp meter - only a long highway onramp that turns into a merge lane.

Southern california. Onramp onto the 405.
This example is from Arizona, but you get the idea.

Hmmm, I've never seen or heard of anything like that. So basically, you sit at the stop bar, and when it turns green, one car from each lane goes, then it turns back to red pretty quickly? Then, it just regulates by flipping to green every 10 seconds or so?

 

[DingDingDao]

Originally posted by: peritusONE

Originally posted by: DingDingDao

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
what area is this? i've never seen an onramp meter - only a long highway onramp that turns into a merge lane.

Southern california. Onramp onto the 405.
This example is from Arizona, but you get the idea.

Hmmm, I've never seen or heard of anything like that. So basically, you sit at the stop bar, and when it turns green, one car from each lane goes, then it turns back to red pretty quickly? Then, it just regulates by flipping to green every 10 seconds or so?

Pretty much. Except that half of all drivers just ignore the signs and lights and just go.

 

[CRXican]

Originally posted by: OCguy

Originally posted by: DingDingDao

Originally posted by: OCguy
I dont think I have ever even considered stopping at those things.

LOL. I think I just joined that club.

Actually I will sometimes if there is a line. It is annoying when it is red and you are the only one around. I just pretend I dropped a CD and look down.

Usually all those things do is encourage racing. Whenever i'm in our Mustang GT, people think we are lined up at the christmas tree and try and get around me.

heck yes, I always wanna win

 

[lxskllr]

They should put road fangs in front of the light when it turns red. That'll stop people from running the light very quickly.

 

[Itchrelief]

Then, on the other hand, you have the convoy of 8 cars that enters the freeway bumper-to-bumper and forces the semi in the slow lane to slam on his brakes.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: Itchrelief
Then, on the other hand, you have the convoy of 8 cars that enters the freeway bumper-to-bumper and forces the semi in the slow lane to slam on his brakes.

Yea, I've never seen these before. It would be interesting to see if they worked when used appropriately. Sometimes traffic engineering schemes don't work as well in practice as they do in theory.

 

[Howard]

Those seem to be fucking nightmares.

 

[Baked]

Do your part and do what's right and don't worry about what other people. Those assholes will get theirs one day.

 

[PottedMeat]

Originally posted by: Howard
Those seem to be fucking nightmares.

it's gotta be better than one of those stop sign onramps.

 

[alevasseur14]

They installed them all over the place in the Minneapolis, MN metro area about 5-6 years ago, ran them for a year, and then shut most of them off because they didn't work and nobody stopped at them anyways. I think some of them are still used on 394 but I'm not really sure. Good idea in theory but they didn't work out.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat

Originally posted by: Howard
Those seem to be fucking nightmares.

it's gotta be better than one of those stop sign onramps.

Where do you live where there's such shitty highway engineering?

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: alevasseur14
Good idea in theory

no

 

[Kelemvor]

We have them all over the place on pretty much every entrance to the freeway in Milwaukee, WI. They are only enabled during the morning and afternoon rush hours. They prevent mass entrance to the freeway which would cause more backups. They stagger the amount of people getting onto the freeway so that it's a smoother transition and causes less backups and jams.

Most people bitch about them but most people obey them. Never really saw any studies on if they are effective or not.

 

[sdifox]

Anywhere where this traffic control measure exists, if you get caught running those red lights it is treated exactly the same as running a red light on the surface road. Not a pretty sight.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

95% of the time I think people follow the lights. It's only people like the guy that was next to you that is the exception.