WATCH ABOVE: Reginans shed their traffic signal complaints as we explore the computer system that controls it all
REGINA – On occasion, it might feel like you hit red light after red light on your commute.
“A song will start on the radio and it’ll end before you actually get to that green light,” said Rick Forbes.
Forbes drives about 100 kilometres a day – all within city limits, which means a lot of waiting in traffic.
“It’s an hour of your life,” Forbes said.
Most commuter complaints focus on the timing of traffic signals, but there is a method to all the madness.
Regina uses the $200,000 Centracs system to monitor and control intersections. A light can be reprogrammed for things like road construction, but it’s not a power city staff can abuse.
Signal timing and patterns are adjusted based on traffic counts. The city only does that, however, once` per year.
Many intersections depend on sensors to trigger a signal change.
If you’re left waiting more often than not, you may just be going the wrong way.
“In the morning, if you take Victoria Avenue East for example, most of the traffic signals are timed for traffic moving in to downtown,” said Ravi Seera, the city’s traffic manager. “If you’re going the opposing direction, you might not be getting the efficient traffic flow.”
78 per cent of the city’s 193 traffic signals are programmable by Centracs.
Seera says the system is designed for the speed limit. Bottom line: we might just need a little more patience.
SOUND OFF: We all love to complain about traffic. But how would you improve intersections around the city of Regina?
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