The Ramp Meter Thread

[US 89]

I've never used a metered ramp, so this is probably a dumb question, but... do they make it as hard to get up to speed to join the freeway as they seem like they would? Or are they only ever used in situations where the traffic on the mainline is running slow enough that you don't really need to worry about the speed differential?

In heavy traffic, no.

But when the meter is on but traffic is flowing at somewhat normal speeds, it can be pretty difficult. Getting stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle that tries to merge at 30 mph into 60 mph traffic is real fun.

Yeah, but people merge like that regardless of whether there is a meter or not...

[roadfro]

I've never used a metered ramp, so this is probably a dumb question, but... do they make it as hard to get up to speed to join the freeway as they seem like they would? Or are they only ever used in situations where the traffic on the mainline is running slow enough that you don't really need to worry about the speed differential?

In fairness, they do make it harder to get up to speed because of where they're located.  The trade-off is they improve speed on the mainline because you don't have a whole platoon of vehicles merging from the on-ramp at the same time.

It really depends on where the meter is located and how the ramp and merge are designed. If everything is engineered well, you'd have a sufficiently long ramp that either has a long merge taper or feeds into an added/auxiliary lane(s) on the freeway, with the meter being placed about halfway to two-thirds of the way down the ramp–such that there is sufficient storage space on the ramp to prevent queue spillback onto the arterial street, but also allows sufficient distance to accelerate to freeway speed after stopping at the meter prior to vehicles needing to merge to the mainline. Often, meters on older ramps (often added well after initial construction) are placed much closer to the gore point and the ramp lacks sufficient acceleration space, making merging from those meters when the freeway traffic is at normal speed much tougher.

[MASTERNC]

Saw a weird sequence on I-476 outside Philly today.  I know they have been doing upgrade work on the ramp meters but not sure if this is a temporary setup for off-peak hours.

Just before 3 PM, the meters at the US 1 on-ramps were flashing red (alternating between the left and right signals).  There were no vehicles on the meter I could see, so not sure if they even got a green signal.  Not sure the point of a flashing red or if it is even legal for ramp meters.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Saw a weird sequence on I-476 outside Philly today.  I know they have been doing upgrade work on the ramp meters but not sure if this is a temporary setup for off-peak hours.

Just before 3 PM, the meters at the US 1 on-ramps were flashing red (alternating between the left and right signals).  There were no vehicles on the meter I could see, so not sure if they even got a green signal.  Not sure the point of a flashing red or if it is even legal for ramp meters.

They have ramp meters on the Blue Route? That's a change.

[MASTERNC]

Saw a weird sequence on I-476 outside Philly today.  I know they have been doing upgrade work on the ramp meters but not sure if this is a temporary setup for off-peak hours.

Just before 3 PM, the meters at the US 1 on-ramps were flashing red (alternating between the left and right signals).  There were no vehicles on the meter I could see, so not sure if they even got a green signal.  Not sure the point of a flashing red or if it is even legal for ramp meters.

They have ramp meters on the Blue Route? That's a change.

They do but their use is inconsistent.  Some were off for a long time until recently but others have been used continuously on the 4-lane section. 

[hbelkins]

Saw a weird sequence on I-476 outside Philly today.  I know they have been doing upgrade work on the ramp meters but not sure if this is a temporary setup for off-peak hours.

Just before 3 PM, the meters at the US 1 on-ramps were flashing red (alternating between the left and right signals).  There were no vehicles on the meter I could see, so not sure if they even got a green signal.  Not sure the point of a flashing red or if it is even legal for ramp meters.

They have ramp meters on the Blue Route? That's a change.

Actually, that's the first place I ever encountered one.

[zachary_amaryllis]

I've never used a metered ramp, so this is probably a dumb question, but... do they make it as hard to get up to speed to join the freeway as they seem like they would? Or are they only ever used in situations where the traffic on the mainline is running slow enough that you don't really need to worry about the speed differential?

To me, they make absolutely no sense, but I also don't regularly drive in rush-hour urban traffic, so I'll defer to others' experience/knowledge on it.

It feels to me, like, the one time you want your foot firmly planted, so as to make a sane merge, instead they make you stop. Some people in Denver think of it like a drag race, and it really is, since the ramps generally narrow to one lane before the gore point. For me, I'd just let the other car go, unless it's a VW bus or something. But if the meter is active, I'm probably not going to be merging into smooth traffic, either.

But, I also get there's people more qualified on it than I, and that there are probably reasons beyond what I see, for these. I know they're starting to pop up outside Denver as well - there's one where US 40 joins I-70 at Empire, and there's one here in Fort Collins, on the SB ramp to I-25 from Harmony. Isn't there one at Carpenter, also (jlam?)

[jeffandnicole]

Saw a weird sequence on I-476 outside Philly today.  I know they have been doing upgrade work on the ramp meters but not sure if this is a temporary setup for off-peak hours.

Just before 3 PM, the meters at the US 1 on-ramps were flashing red (alternating between the left and right signals).  There were no vehicles on the meter I could see, so not sure if they even got a green signal.  Not sure the point of a flashing red or if it is even legal for ramp meters.

They have ramp meters on the Blue Route? That's a change.

Since 2010, and the article states some ramps had them upwards of 10 years prior to that. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mainlinemedianews.com/2010/02/03/blue-route-ramps-to-be-metered/amp/

[JoePCool14]

My favorite ramp meter is actually the one near my office at Cumberland. There's the typical Ramp Meter Ahead warning sign, and the ramp is stripped like one I posted above. The thing is, the meter is so good that it never turns red and is actually invisible. Really impressive and innovative.

https://goo.gl/maps/q2Vw3i243zeG6FZv6

https://goo.gl/maps/Ke9MucU6PXPPvo7Y8

They built new pads for new signals but never installed them. I might contact IDOT and ask them why. They definitely could use them here.

Another update: The actual ramp meters have finally been installed! I haven't seem them in action yet though. No green lights or anything so far.

[jakeroot]

when the meter is on but traffic is flowing at somewhat normal speeds, it can be pretty difficult. Getting stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle that tries to merge at 30 mph into 60 mph traffic is real fun.

I experienced this several times in Renton, at the 405/Bronson Way NE/Sunset Blvd on-ramp (northern exit 4 on-ramp). When I lived in Renton, it was on 24/7. That stretch of 405 was, to be fair, chronically congested, but it was always on, even during relatively quiet periods. Traffic did not always do a good job getting up to speed, despite having about a fifth of a mile to do so.

[Bruce]

I've never used a metered ramp, so this is probably a dumb question, but... do they make it as hard to get up to speed to join the freeway as they seem like they would? Or are they only ever used in situations where the traffic on the mainline is running slow enough that you don't really need to worry about the speed differential?

To me, they make absolutely no sense, but I also don't regularly drive in rush-hour urban traffic, so I'll defer to others' experience/knowledge on it.

It feels to me, like, the one time you want your foot firmly planted, so as to make a sane merge, instead they make you stop. Some people in Denver think of it like a drag race, and it really is, since the ramps generally narrow to one lane before the gore point. For me, I'd just let the other car go, unless it's a VW bus or something. But if the meter is active, I'm probably not going to be merging into smooth traffic, either.

But, I also get there's people more qualified on it than I, and that there are probably reasons beyond what I see, for these. I know they're starting to pop up outside Denver as well - there's one where US 40 joins I-70 at Empire, and there's one here in Fort Collins, on the SB ramp to I-25 from Harmony. Isn't there one at Carpenter, also (jlam?)

Being stuck in the right lane on the freeway (mostly to make a merge to the next exit) makes these meters matter a lot. By spreading out the clump of traffic trying to enter the freeway from a signal change, it becomes more predictable and can smooth out its effect on congestion. As a bonus, some of them have bypasses for buses and carpools, which encourages those uses.

[zachary_amaryllis]

I've never used a metered ramp, so this is probably a dumb question, but... do they make it as hard to get up to speed to join the freeway as they seem like they would? Or are they only ever used in situations where the traffic on the mainline is running slow enough that you don't really need to worry about the speed differential?

To me, they make absolutely no sense, but I also don't regularly drive in rush-hour urban traffic, so I'll defer to others' experience/knowledge on it.

It feels to me, like, the one time you want your foot firmly planted, so as to make a sane merge, instead they make you stop. Some people in Denver think of it like a drag race, and it really is, since the ramps generally narrow to one lane before the gore point. For me, I'd just let the other car go, unless it's a VW bus or something. But if the meter is active, I'm probably not going to be merging into smooth traffic, either.

But, I also get there's people more qualified on it than I, and that there are probably reasons beyond what I see, for these. I know they're starting to pop up outside Denver as well - there's one where US 40 joins I-70 at Empire, and there's one here in Fort Collins, on the SB ramp to I-25 from Harmony. Isn't there one at Carpenter, also (jlam?)

Being stuck in the right lane on the freeway (mostly to make a merge to the next exit) makes these meters matter a lot. By spreading out the clump of traffic trying to enter the freeway from a signal change, it becomes more predictable and can smooth out its effect on congestion. As a bonus, some of them have bypasses for buses and carpools, which encourages those uses.

I've seen the bypass lanes in use. I suspect cheating these could be a thing, lord knows I was tempted.

[Lukeisroads]

ok weve hung this thread out for too long we have to bring this thread back like for example i have three ramp meters that arent setup like
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.411619,-119.0546939,3a,15y,135.44h,87.66t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sT0wNagFAPKyxODLrtrYfcg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DT0wNagFAPKyxODLrtrYfcg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D167.66911%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
Note:this one has been standing since the early 2010s.
This one has DOUBLE Back lights
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.3528799,-119.022714,3a,75y,223.87h,90.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1se1fX8xgF8QaVKgQUBXEMcw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.3368998,-119.0400416,3a,15y,177.36h,91.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s4cavBnoB8vAWeqivVCa4Zg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D4cavBnoB8vAWeqivVCa4Zg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D314.12994%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
This has been standing since the ming ave redesign

[skluth]

I've never used a metered ramp, so this is probably a dumb question, but... do they make it as hard to get up to speed to join the freeway as they seem like they would? Or are they only ever used in situations where the traffic on the mainline is running slow enough that you don't really need to worry about the speed differential?

To me, they make absolutely no sense, but I also don't regularly drive in rush-hour urban traffic, so I'll defer to others' experience/knowledge on it.

It feels to me, like, the one time you want your foot firmly planted, so as to make a sane merge, instead they make you stop. Some people in Denver think of it like a drag race, and it really is, since the ramps generally narrow to one lane before the gore point. For me, I'd just let the other car go, unless it's a VW bus or something. But if the meter is active, I'm probably not going to be merging into smooth traffic, either.

But, I also get there's people more qualified on it than I, and that there are probably reasons beyond what I see, for these. I know they're starting to pop up outside Denver as well - there's one where US 40 joins I-70 at Empire, and there's one here in Fort Collins, on the SB ramp to I-25 from Harmony. Isn't there one at Carpenter, also (jlam?)

Being stuck in the right lane on the freeway (mostly to make a merge to the next exit) makes these meters matter a lot. By spreading out the clump of traffic trying to enter the freeway from a signal change, it becomes more predictable and can smooth out its effect on congestion. As a bonus, some of them have bypasses for buses and carpools, which encourages those uses.

I've seen the bypass lanes in use. I suspect cheating these could be a thing, lord knows I was tempted.

I see far more cheating in the HOV freeway lanes than the HOV lanes on metered ramps. But I rarely see the meters backed up more than 6-8 cars when I've used them. I think they work pretty decently because, like others have stated, they reduce the flow problems caused by multiple vehicles trying to merge onto a busy freeway simultaneously. The wait is annoying but it's no worse than being stopped at a regular street light waiting to enter a freeway. I see them mostly on inclines as freeways more often cross other roads than the reverse but that may be more a factor of my own driving choices than reality. It is a pain when you need to stop and start again on those inclines but I think it's more an issue with slower accelerating vehicles (whether due to mass like a semi or drivers who don't understand why its called an acceleration lane) than most passenger vehicles.

We have several ramp meters in the Coachella Valley. There may also be some through San Gorgonio Pass. I've never seen them in use in either area. They might be used around big events like the music festivals and the BNP but I avoid driving on I-10 during those events.

[kirbykart]

ok weve hung this thread out for too long we have to bring this thread back like for example i have three ramp meters that arent setup like

Bring it back to what? What does that even mean to begin with? Weren't you the one who simply demanded us to post examples of ramp meters? There was no further detail. What are you talking about?

[Scott5114]

ok weve hung this thread out for too long we have to bring this thread back

We don't have to do jack shit. That sounds a lot like bumping a thread for the sake of bumping a thread.