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  #41  
Old Posted Mar 7, 2019, 4:49 PM
McBane McBane is offline
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The first time I noticed the synchronized lighting was on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, which is a two-way boulevard. I was a young kid visiting family (25-30 years ago?). So I don't think it's impossible on a two-way street; nor is it a recent technological improvement. But I still won't pretend to be an expert.

On one hand, the city tends to be pretty bad with this sort of shit. On the other hand, if it was really something that could be accomplished by the switch of a button, I'd have to think it would have been done decades ago. I really don't know the complexity of it. Right now, it's just another one of those annoying "NY does it better" tropes. At least in my brain.
     
     
  #42  
Old Posted Mar 7, 2019, 4:54 PM
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The current tech is there. Don't know if certain city streets (main roads) have updated to these systems.

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/...edc-1/asct.cfm
     
     
  #43  
Old Posted Mar 7, 2019, 5:26 PM
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Chestnut, Walnut, and Market in West Philly all have synchronous lights for me. If I’m driving into the city on Chestnut I usually get like 10 lights before stopping.
     
     
  #44  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2019, 8:19 PM
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I live on Spruce, and all the lights in Wash West are synchronized. You can drive westbound from Front to Broad on Spruce and never stop (when there's no traffic). Likewise, you can drive eastbound from Broad to Front on Pine and South and never stop.

With two-way streets like Broad Street or Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia, lights are timed such that every two stoplights is on the opposite schedule (e.g., on Washington Ave., 12th & 11th and 7th & 8th are green while 10th & 9th and 5th & 6th are red). Depending on block length, this allows groups of cars to travel non-stop in both directions at about 25 mph, passing each other at every other block.

Just a casual observation from somebody who grew up in the South, but I find it so odd how the typical Philadelphia driver refuses to utilize timed lights. Instead, so many drivers here speed to the next light before it turns green. This happens on Broad Street all the time. Why do that when you can practically set the cruise control on 25 mph and never stop?

Anyways. Super off topic but my experience has been that the lights in Philadephia generally are timed pretty well. Columbus Blvd. is a major exception.
     
     
  #45  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2019, 8:22 PM
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Just a lot of idiot drivers racing (in a hurry) to the next stop light or heavy volume traffic with no where to go. Very frustrating in these situations.
     
     
  #46  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2019, 8:25 PM
Londonee Londonee is offline
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Center City has a lot of streets with synchronized lights. Pine, Spruce, Lombard, South St West all have synced lights - set to 20mph. Even South Broad certain times of day (not at night to prevent drag racing I was told) has them synced to around 20mph. There's even a green street sign that indicate the start of a sync'd row of lights that says "LIGHTS TIMED TO 20MPH."

The issue is with 1 and 2 lane streets - often being blocked/congested w/ ubers/cyclists/buses/delivers and less than 30 second timers on lights - if you fall at all below the average pace of 20mph you'll hit a light in a few blocks. But off-peak time, on a sunday morning for example, you can cruise around no problem right at 20mph.

Begs the question with some of our more frequent posters....have you guys, like, ever been to center city?
     
     
  #47  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2019, 9:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Londonee View Post
Begs the question with some of our more frequent posters....have you guys, like, ever been to center city?
No need to be cute, esp if directed at me. I'm there frequently. I don't drive in town so much. But I do notice the lack of synchronization most obviously on streets outside of CC, e.g., Washington, Girard, Spring Garden, and Cottman. Within CC proper, there's usually so much traffic that the synchronization of lights (if they are or not) is not noticeable.
     
     
  #48  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2019, 9:43 PM
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Broad St., Market St, and lights around City hall-i've never noticed synchronization nor has it worked for me. Maybe late late into the night (or early before dawn) but I don't drive that late anyways. I go through one light and need to wait for the next light before proceeding is more common when I have to drive.

Walnut St. for example when heading out (or coming back in) from (to) West Philly at night time past 7:30 pm, the synchronization works well due to lower traffic volume and you can "time" those lights changing from red to green without using your brake and gas pedal if you do 20-25mph.

You can take advantage in certain situations if you know when and how, but with other drivers wanting to get ahead of you or riding your ass, it's not worth it. I usually just go with the flow of traffic.
     
     
  #49  
Old Posted Mar 9, 2019, 7:37 PM
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i hate to continue the off topic talk, but some additional signal info: https://www.phila.gov/2018-07-12-cit...-improvements/
     
     
  #50  
Old Posted Mar 10, 2019, 11:02 PM
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i hate to continue the off topic talk, but some additional signal info: https://www.phila.gov/2018-07-12-cit...-improvements/
If these posts were in the Philadelphia transportation thread, they’d be perfectly on topic.

We really need to get the Philly transportation thread more visibility.
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  #51  
Old Posted Mar 11, 2019, 6:23 PM
Londonee Londonee is offline
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Originally Posted by McBane View Post
No need to be cute, esp if directed at me. I'm there frequently. I don't drive in town so much. But I do notice the lack of synchronization most obviously on streets outside of CC, e.g., Washington, Girard, Spring Garden, and Cottman. Within CC proper, there's usually so much traffic that the synchronization of lights (if they are or not) is not noticeable.
Being the opposite of cute- blunt, actually. If you spend any reasonable amount of time in Center City the synchronization of lights is pretty apparent...

Just saying, for a forum whose almost sole focus on development, policy, hot-takes on nimby-ism, aesthetic, energy, concept on Jane Jacobs's belief, anger at Inga etc. is focused on a 2 square mile group of neighborhoods in Center City... that some of our more opinionated and energized posters clearly haven't spent enough time in said neighborhood is something to note.
     
     
  #52  
Old Posted Mar 11, 2019, 6:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Philly-Drew View Post
If these posts were in the Philadelphia transportation thread, they’d be perfectly on topic.

We really need to get the Philly transportation thread more visibility.
It really needs to be added to the Philadelphia Projects & Construction forum, ideally as a sticky like Highrise Developments Thread and the Metro Developments thread.

I don't know about everyone else, but I access all of these threads through the Philadelphia Projects & Construction forum. If a thread such as the Transportation thread isn't attached to that forum I don't see. I don't feel like searching for individual threads.

Also... Londonee bringing fire and I like it. Seriously though I had a work study co-op in New Jersey in the early 2000s and I'd drive home to my parents house in West Philly all the time after working late and there would be no traffic on Walnut and I remember the lights were synched then. ALMOST TWO DECADES AGO. Even if you're not driving, there are signs everywhere on the synched streets. The idea that someone spends any considerable time in Philly and didn't know philly has synched street lights is basically impossible to believe.
     
     
  #53  
Old Posted Mar 11, 2019, 11:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by allovertown View Post
It really needs to be added to the Philadelphia Projects & Construction forum, ideally as a sticky like Highrise Developments Thread and the Metro Developments thread.

I don't know about everyone else, but I access all of these threads through the Philadelphia Projects & Construction forum. If a thread such as the Transportation thread isn't attached to that forum I don't see. I don't feel like searching for individual threads.

Also... Londonee bringing fire and I like it. Seriously though I had a work study co-op in New Jersey in the early 2000s and I'd drive home to my parents house in West Philly all the time after working late and there would be no traffic on Walnut and I remember the lights were synched then. ALMOST TWO DECADES AGO. Even if you're not driving, there are signs everywhere on the synched streets. The idea that someone spends any considerable time in Philly and didn't know philly has synched street lights is basically impossible to believe.
It can't. I talked to Summers about it, and the code of the site will not allow for it to appear in this subforum.
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  #54  
Old Posted Mar 12, 2019, 12:29 AM
McBane McBane is offline
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Originally Posted by Londonee View Post
Being the opposite of cute- blunt, actually. If you spend any reasonable amount of time in Center City the synchronization of lights is pretty apparent...

Just saying, for a forum whose almost sole focus on development, policy, hot-takes on nimby-ism, aesthetic, energy, concept on Jane Jacobs's belief, anger at Inga etc. is focused on a 2 square mile group of neighborhoods in Center City... that some of our more opinionated and energized posters clearly haven't spent enough time in said neighborhood is something to note.
First, I don't think it's apparent. Maybe b/c I don't drive much in CC (which I noted in my earlier post). Or maybe because there's so much traffic, double parked vehicles, and pedestrians that the lights - if they are timed - probably has minimal impact in speeding up traffic, which of course is totally fine and expected for that part of the city.

The other thing I had previously said and bears repeating is that the synchronization issue, for me, is most apparent (and painful) outside of CC on streets like Washington Ave and Girard Ave. So the amount of time I spend in CC really has no bearing on this.

But going forward, I'll be sure to document the time I spend in CC so that way my commentary can still be credible.
     
     
  #55  
Old Posted Mar 12, 2019, 12:47 AM
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Originally Posted by McBane View Post
First, I don't think it's apparent. Maybe b/c I don't drive much in CC (which I noted in my earlier post). Or maybe because there's so much traffic, double parked vehicles, and pedestrians that the lights - if they are timed - probably has minimal impact in speeding up traffic, which of course is totally fine and expected for that part of the city.

The other thing I had previously said and bears repeating is that the synchronization issue, for me, is most apparent (and painful) outside of CC on streets like Washington Ave and Girard Ave. So the amount of time I spend in CC really has no bearing on this.

But going forward, I'll be sure to document the time I spend in CC so that way my commentary can still be credible.
Dumb debate but I am on your side. No car but in Center City every week day. I kinda knew this existed on Pine and Spruce but not other streets. Don't think knowing traffic light patterns has much bearing on your credentials to weigh in on development. Londonee needs to stop being car-ist.
     
     
  #56  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2019, 1:37 PM
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Anyone know why the zoning permit was denied? I hope this doesn't turn out to be bad news for what will be a spectacular project for the area!

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  #57  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2019, 9:34 PM
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Isn't this just procedural thing that triggers the project going before ZBA? It's probably too dense for the zoning, that's what usually causes the initial denial.
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  #58  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2019, 1:19 AM
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Originally Posted by hammersklavier View Post
Isn't this just procedural thing that triggers the project going before ZBA? It's probably too dense for the zoning, that's what usually causes the initial denial.
Yes, I believe this is right.
     
     
  #59  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2019, 12:31 PM
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Isn't this just procedural thing that triggers the project going before ZBA? It's probably too dense for the zoning, that's what usually causes the initial denial.
That makes sense! Excuse my initial ignorance. The denial should really be looked at as a sign of progress in that case, as the ZBA will probably approve this.
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  #60  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2019, 1:36 PM
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Originally Posted by hammersklavier View Post
Isn't this just procedural thing that triggers the project going before ZBA? It's probably too dense for the zoning, that's what usually causes the initial denial.
It looks like it went to the ZBA and lost. That's the appeal decision history.
     
     
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