Engineering and Public Works - Traffic - Palm Beach County

There are multiple causes of delay at a signalized intersection. These are summarized below.

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Vehicle and or Pedestrian Detection Failure:  Detection failure can be the result of a malfunction or the result of the detection device not being properly aligned to detect traffic accurately.  Detection failure will cause vehicles or pedestrians to not be detected and or relay to the traffic signal controller about demands that do not exist.

Traffic Signal Preemption and Priority: Traffic signals may be designed and operated to respond to certain vehicles such as buses, trains, and emergency vehicles so that if these vehicles approach the intersection the signal phasing changes to favor that vehicle. 

Preemption control in Palm Beach County is given to trains and emergency vehicles so that when they approach an intersection they may immediately and safety pass through. When a train approaches an intersection, the conflicting movements will transition to the red indication no matter where the intersection is in its phase sequence. This will also take place when an emergency vehicle approaches an intersection; however, depending on the emergency vehicle's route, a softer preemption may take place "Priority".

Start up Lost Time: A fundamental characteristic of a signalized intersection is the periodic stopping and restarting of traffic. Each traffic signal phase has start up lost time that is attributed to the driver's reaction to the change from a red to green and the time it takes for the vehicles at the approach to begin moving. This lost time adds up when a location has multiple phases, such as left turn phases.

 
Suboptimal Traffic Signal Timing Plans: Traffic demands change hourly, daily and seasonally. New developments such as stores, gas stations, schools, and neighborhoods also create new demands and traffic patterns in the transportation system. Traffic engineers regularly review the signal timing plans for improvements to meet these changing demands but rely a lot on citizens to alert them of changes in demand that may be causing added delays that signal timing adjustments could help alleviate. However, once an intersection reaches capacity signal retiming for delay reduction becomes impossible. There is simply not enough green time to meet the demands of all approaches. Solutions such as road widening, mass transit and other multimodal improvements should be considered as a solution to the increased demands.

The County in coordination with the Department of Transportation is implementing adaptive signal control strategies at major arterials to improve traffic flow by adjusting signal timing based on actual traffic demand.  The County is also implementing new technologies to improve safety and operations using intelligent transportation systems (ITS) as well as exploring new opportunities provided by the evolving field of advanced communications between vehicles and the roadway infrastructure (signal controllers) that are already being implemented by a number of car manufacturers. Vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-highway communication is anticipated to be significantly enhanced with the implementation of the 5G network.

Those red, yellow and green traffic signal lights are vital to controlling traffic in a safe and orderly manner.

They let motorists take turns moving through busy intersections and can enhance safety. But, in the wrong location, a traffic signal can actually contribute to accidents and congestion. A potential accident exists every time a vehicle is stopped on the highway.

Nearly every driver has experienced the anxiety of having a light suddenly turn yellow while rapidly approaching an intersection. We all have been caught behind one red light after another on a busy thoroughfare. The Virginia Department of Transportation's job is to find the point where a signal will help more than it will hinder traffic and relieve more congestion than it will cause. 

In every case, VDOT's primary consideration is safety.

Traffic signals are designed to:

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• Ensure safe and orderly flow of traffic.
• Protect pedestrians and vehicles at busy intersections.
• Reduce the severity and frequency of accidents between vehicles entering intersections.

Red light photo enforcement

The numbers for those injured and killed in crashes where a red light is run are sobering.

In , red-light running resulted in 673 fatalities and an estimated 122,000 injuries nationally. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, )

None of these statistics take into account the high costs of property damage, medical treatment and productivity losses. Most red-light running crashes are angle or side impact, which tend to be more severe than rear-end crashes.

The General Assembly enacted legislation that allows counties, cities and towns to use red light camera enforcement – commonly called photo enforcement. This legislation provides localities the option of installing and operating red light running camera systems.

Process for installing red-light cameras

In , the General Assembly removed VDOT from the approval process. 

The number of intersections where a locality is allowed to operate photo enforcement is based on population. The legislation allows no more than one intersection per 10,000 residents. 

Before red light running cameras can be installed at any intersection, a locality must complete an engineering safety analysis for the specific intersection, taking into account the intersection’s accident rate, its red light running violation rate and the difficulty law enforcement officer’s experience in safely apprehending violators among other factors.

While not required for intersections located outside of VDOT’s right of way, localities are encouraged to use the same Engineering Safety Analysis Template required for intersections that are located within its right of way.

A comprehensive process of how localities submit requests for intersections located within VDOT’s right of way is included in the Red Light running camera (photo enforcement) engineering safety analysis guidelines document.

Also see frequently asked questions about red light photo enforcement.

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