16 replies to this topic

[Sandman]

I tried searching the folsom city website for an appropriate contact but my search did not turn up anything.

[Silverado]

Traffic Control and Lighting
355-8348

[Bill Z]

I tried searching the folsom city website for an appropriate contact but my search did not turn up anything.

Try this guy, he's listed under Public Works

Liaison:
Mark Rackovan, Sr. Civil Engineer/Traffic, Public Works Department 351-3370
mrackovan@folsom.ca.us

lifted from this page
http://www.folsom.ca...tee/default.asp

[tony]

Mark Rackovan is an appropriate choice, but you might want to go closer to the source and contact:

Gary Mitchell, Traffic Control and Lighting Supervisor
(916) 355-8348
gmitchell@folsom.ca.us

[tessieca]

If my experience within Folsom rings true, the light is working just fine, and in a totally illogical manner that stops the main thoroughfare for the benefit of a right turner from a neighborhood.

[Darth Lefty]

What's the actual problem? You might be able to "fix" it yourself by changing your behavior. For example on a motorcycle or bicycle, the sensor sees you better if you park right on the left or right side of the sensor loop, rather than in the middle.

If the light still isn't tripping, you just need to buy a bigger SUV.

If my experience within Folsom rings true, the light is working just fine, and in a totally illogical manner that stops the main thoroughfare for the benefit of a right turner from a neighborhood.

Yeah no kidding. The timing of the lights along Folsom between 50 and the bridge is bizarre.

[Sandman]

Yes I totally agree the lights along Folsom Blvd between 50 and the bridge are an absolute joke. Completly ineffecient in moving traffic to and away from the highway.

My post however was in regards to a faulty light on the turn lane from Blue Ravine onto Sibley. For about two weeks straight it was only letting 4-5 cars through on each cycle backing up the turn lane into the main traffic lanes. It looks like they came in last week and did some major repair work at the intersection that seems to have fixed the problem.

[tony]

WHile I appreciate and agree with Tessiaca's evaluation, in defense of the traffic signal timers (whom I have plenty of other beefs with), Folsom Boulevard is a very difficult problem because the signals get pre-empted every 10/20 minutes by a light rail train, making coordination (which I'm pretty sure doesn't exist on Folsom Blvd., except between Natoma Station and Iron Point, because they don't have the infrastructure in place) very difficult.

[Darth Lefty]

The problem is the whole length of road. I don't know what infrastructre you need, they're all modern signals. And it's not to do with the train. I can't think how many times I've sat waiting to cross the crosswalk at Natoma Station for ten minutes *, with traffic backed up along with me and NO traffic on Folsom because it's all blocked up at IP and BR. And just as soon as those guys at IP get a green light and up to cruising speed, and they're almost to NS, THAT'S when the light changes.

(*admitted exaggeration)

[DrKoz23]

If my experience within Folsom rings true, the light is working just fine, and in a totally illogical manner that stops the main thoroughfare for the benefit of a right turner from a neighborhood.

Thank you! This is my biggest pet peeve with traffic lights in this city. Why... oh why does a side street get preference over a main thoroughfare??? The second a car trips the signal... it turns to the side street.

[tessieca]

WHile I appreciate and agree with Tessiaca's evaluation, in defense of the traffic signal timers (whom I have plenty of other beefs with), Folsom Boulevard is a very difficult problem because the signals get pre-empted every 10/20 minutes by a light rail train,

Tony, that one is understood, even though it really could still be done better. I get PO'd about the other major thoroughfares such as Blue Ravine, Iron Point, Riley, Prairie City, and E. Bidwell!!!!

My typical experience traveling on these is that I spend 12-13 minutes at stop lights (75% of lights on major roads are red for me) while traveling a good 5-8 miles on what are supposed to be the major roadways of the city. They are focussing so much energy on new inter-changes and bridges, etc., that they have forgotten to deal with the existing roadways.

The city is NOT analyzing their intersections well. They need to start over.

[Sandman]

WHile I appreciate and agree with Tessiaca's evaluation, in defense of the traffic signal timers (whom I have plenty of other beefs with), Folsom Boulevard is a very difficult problem because the signals get pre-empted every 10/20 minutes by a light rail train, making coordination (which I'm pretty sure doesn't exist on Folsom Blvd., except between Natoma Station and Iron Point, because they don't have the infrastructure in place) very difficult.

Folsom Blvd traffic lights have had issues before light rail was ever put in. Light rail has just made the situation even worse...

[tony]

Tony, that one is understood, even though it really could still be done better. I get PO'd about the other major thoroughfares such as Blue Ravine, Iron Point, Riley, Prairie City, and E. Bidwell!!!!

My typical experience traveling on these is that I spend 12-13 minutes at stop lights (75% of lights on major roads are red for me) while traveling a good 5-8 miles on what are supposed to be the major roadways of the city. They are focussing so much energy on new inter-changes and bridges, etc., that they have forgotten to deal with the existing roadways.

The city is NOT analyzing their intersections well. They need to start over.

No argument here. Or with any of the other comments, except to say that, with the equipment the city currently has, very little of which is interconnected, coordination is nearly impossible (until they get the interconnect fiber-optics installed, which I understand they are working on). And with "responsive" signals and no coordination, what you get is what Folsom has now. The problem, IMHO -- and many newer suburban areas have this -- is that the city put all of it's traffic eggs into the "fully-actuated signal" basket. In isolation, and with light traffic, these work pretty well. But when you start having a lot of them, you start having them close together, and when traffic starts getting heavy, then their responsiveness starts being a liability more than an asset. And that's where we are now. Sure, there's some tweaking that can be done to delay signals changing for one car (especially one that may or is likely to be making a right turn on red), but the (censored) problem won't go away until there is interconnection of signals, so they can work in progression (which is much easier to do with the cheap old fixed-time signals like you see on 15th and 16th Strets in Sacramento.

And that's not to mention the problems they cause for bicyclists and motorcyclists, for whom many of the signals simply will not change. On the other hand, the traffic getting stopped at every other signal (or somethimes every one) during peak traffic times along E. Bidwell, etc., can work great for bicyclists, who, lagging behind the platoon of motor vehicles, can often make all green lights form Broadstone Parkway to Blue Ravine and beyond.

[SunshineServices]

From a helpful city employee:

"If you go to the City’s Website, we now have a Customer Report Module that you can access. It will allow you to make a report and it will be forwarded to the correct person/department. Once we get the report, depending on the urgency, we have 10 days to respond to the customer. I haven’t had the opportunity to go to the City’s Website to access it myself, but I have heard that it is very easy to find and simple to complete the form. Hope that helps."

jeff

[tony]

... And that's where we are now. Sure, there's some tweaking that can be done to delay signals changing for one car (especially one that may or is likely to be making a right turn on red), but the (censored) problem won't go away until there is interconnection of signals, so they can work in progression (which is much easier to do with the cheap old fixed-time signals like you see on 15th and 16th Strets in Sacramento.

I can't remember exactly what I wrote, but I can't imagine why any of it would have been censored. What's up with that?