Monday, January 23, 2006

Lights on Knoxville

Anybody else have to go to work before standard rush hour begins at 6am? For the past few months, since the move of the radio station I work for, I have had to go the other way (towards downtown) on Knoxville at 4:55, 5:00 am. I have never been able to go from McClure to Downtown without stopping at least once for a stoplight, usually twice.

It seems the light by the McDonalds is set for traffic coming the other way (is that Frye? Help me out.) Problem is, there's NEVER any traffic entering Knoxville from that street, and as McDonald's isn't open yet, there's NEVER any cars coming out of there. So what gives? Are the city's traffic engineers told to do that so that we WILL stop on Knoxville? Is this "traffic calming" without the speed bumps?

The other problem intersection is Richmond. Same thing. Street only enters Knoxville from one side, yet the light is set opposite in my mind. If 97% of the overnight traffic is on Knoxville, shouldn't the lights always stay green on Knoxville until those streets actually produce traffic?

Just wondering, in frustration, while I sit for 25-30 seconds watching nothing happening while I could be closer to work.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've noticed it too and it isn't just in the morning. The lights are nice if your going north. I went south on Knoxville on a Saturday at 10 am and hit every light except 2 from glen to 74. McDonalds is at Thrush.