Mind the traffic

A report from a national traffic-study group demonstrates one more example of the "butterfly effect" - when a small action ultimately leads to significant change. In this case, tiny adjustments in how traffic signals are set up can save hours of drivers' time, gallons of gasoline and eliminate tons of air pollution.
The National Transportation Operations Coalition, an alliance of federal, state and local traffic departments and equipment-makers, says relatively easy fixes in the placement and timing of traffic signals could reduce automotive air pollution by a fifth, save the average family about five tanks of gasoline per year and cut road congestion by 10 percent.
Unfortunately, the group's assessment of traffic-control efforts in U.S. cities yielded an average report-card grade of D. Most cities don't recalibrate the timing on their traffic signals every three years or sooner, as the coalition advocates. When traffic changes because of new development, new traffic patterns or the closing or opening of a major employer, traffic-light timing can get out of sync, leaving motorists frequently stuck at lights where they once cruised on through.
The group blames the problem on a shortage of traffic engineers and says congestion doesn't rate high on the political agenda.
In metropolitan areas, even if each city and suburb tries to keep signals well-regulated, traffic can back up at municipal borders if the neighboring jurisdictions don't coordinate their systems.
As Americans try to squeeze every mile out of a gallon of gas, reduce carbon emissions and commuting time, they'll be more interested in focusing on hidden influences, such as traffic-control systems.