Ramp metering coming to KC

[LindseyLohan]

Aren't there signs or old gates that closed off the ramps on the north side of the loop during rush hour? What happened to that?

[dangerboy]

Aren't there signs or old gates that closed off the ramps on the north side of the loop during rush hour? What happened to that?

They are still there for the Main Street ramps, but I have never seen them activated in the 10 years I've lived in the city.

[ReutherMonkey]

First of all, State Line, Wornall, Holmes and 103rd st don't need metering, yet are included. Why? Further west, sure. East of 71 hwy, sure. But that middle section doesn't need it - in fact it's the fastest part of the road when it's not backed up by an accident around Antioch and 435WB (an almost daily occurance) or general traffic at the 71/435/470 interchange. And frankly, it's just another waste of money that this city doesn't have.

God, KC needs ramp metering bad.  That way I will be forced stop and wait rather than freak out as the ten cars in front of me attempt to enter the freeway at 40 mph.

Oh MY! How do bigger cities cope?!! 

How about this? Instead of staying in the right lane, how about you get in the middle lane so that the horrible, horrible group of 10 can get into the right lane? You can keep your speed, they can speed up. And frankly, what you're describing would be made WORSE by ramp metering, because instead of vehicles using the ramp to speed up to at least that 40MPH, they'll be sitting there at 0MPH, entering the highway at a slower speed.

An alternative is to adopt a highway rule like my home state of Texas has: traffic entering the freeway has right of way into the right lane, and existing traffic in the right lane yields to entering traffic.

i think that instead of controlling these ramps with lights they shuld build longer acceleration lanes. Also make bonus lanes inside of the freeways for carpoolers to use at a higher rate of speed. I have seen these at St. Louis and thought they would almost work anywhere else.

I agree. some of the entrance lanes on 435 are uphill and short, leaving little acceleration room, and making it even more difficult for larger vehicles to get to highway speed.
Here's what i'd actually like to see:
1. Longer entrance ramps
2. People in the right lane get over to the middle lane to let people enter the highway
3. People in the middle lane driving the speed limit
4. People in the left lane passing the slowbies in the middle lane
5. Everyone paying attention (the least likely of all!)

[bbqboy]

First of all, State Line, Wornall, Holmes and 103rd st don't need metering, yet are included. Why? Further west, sure. East of 71 hwy, sure. But that middle section doesn't need it - in fact it's the fastest part of the road when it's not backed up by an accident around Antioch and 435WB (an almost daily occurance) or general traffic at the 71/435/470 interchange. And frankly, it's just another waste of money that this city doesn't have.Oh MY! How do bigger cities cope?!! 

How about this? Instead of staying in the right lane, how about you get in the middle lane so that the horrible, horrible group of 10 can get into the right lane? You can keep your speed, they can speed up. And frankly, what you're describing would be made WORSE by ramp metering, because instead of vehicles using the ramp to speed up to at least that 40MPH, they'll be sitting there at 0MPH, entering the highway at a slower speed.

An alternative is to adopt a highway rule like my home state of Texas has: traffic entering the freeway has right of way into the right lane, and existing traffic in the right lane yields to entering traffic. I agree. some of the entrance lanes on 435 are uphill and short, leaving little acceleration room, and making it even more difficult for larger vehicles to get to highway speed.
Here's what i'd actually like to see:
1. Longer entrance ramps
2. People in the right lane get over to the middle lane to let people enter the highway
3. People in the middle lane driving the speed limit
4. People in the left lane passing the slowbies in the middle lane
5. Everyone paying attention (the least likely of all!)

First you say there's no money, then promote longer entrance ramps  which would cost in the many millions instead of the relatively inexpensive metering lights...
  Ramp metering works great at allowing an even flow of cars merging. At least where I've been on them, there's no room to move over a lane to allow cars in.  Too crowded.

[ReutherMonkey]

First you say there's no money, then promote longer entrance ramps  which would cost in the many millions instead of the relatively inexpensive metering lights...
  Ramp metering works great at allowing an even flow of cars merging. At least where, i've been on them, there's no room to move over a lane to allow cars in.  Too crowded.

I'd *prefer* to see longer entrance ramps and the rest of my list any day over entrance over ramp metering. I frankly think some of you folks are getting big heads about Kansas City and want to adopt the latest and (in this case) worstest. This aint Boston, and the traffic on 435 isn't so severe that ramp metering is needed - and I drive almost every other day in the middle of rush hour traffic along either State Line to 435 West, or 75th St to I-35S to get to where I'm going after work. The biggest slowdown of KC highways are idjit drivers getting into accidents because they're on their cell phones - not entrance ramps. The highways are crowded, but not THAT crowded.

[enough]

i seldom drive this stretch of the region's highway system, but my hunch is that the greatest benefit of ramp metering will be that it will deter people who now hop on the highway for just a mile (or less).  such people will instead use a parallel arterial and probably get to their destinations just as fast.

[Moniker]

Longer entrance ramps do not address the issue of merging and exiting the highway, unless the merging ramp extends a greater length of 1/2 of a mile. Metering is a cheaper alternative that is proven to work in many large cities, as opposed to having the state snatch up land in front of businesses and/or potentially removing frontage roads for longer ramps.

The OP/KC cooridor justifiably has enough traffic to consider metering, and frankly, it's about damn time they did something. While the Bermuda Triangle did help diffuse some of the congestion, there's still a long way to go in order to cope with our rapidly-expanding suburban landscape. Metering is a qualified and cheap measure KS and MO can take to allieviate our highly congested highways.

[ReutherMonkey]

which part of the OP/KC corridor? Because the EXACT strip of highway that is described here - Metcalf to 71hwy - is the fastest flowing, and is only backed up because of the 71 interchange and the usual accident around antioch / 69hwy. Both outside of the "metering" area. And metering wouldn't divert traffic from KC westbound to Grandview/LS off the highway, because there are only 3 roads which connect the south side of the 435 over there - Red Bridge which is already packed during rush hour; blue ridge which goes to main street in grandview (and is slow and fills up), and 150hwy which is pretty far south, and would only divert traffic back to 71hwy northbound.
North of 435, 95th Street is the only viable thoroughfare and it's also packed during rush hour.

That's all fine and dandy that you want to spend money on an unnecessary system, but the whole "benefit" - diverting traffic - is negated when the existing roads parallel to 435 are ALREADY packed with traffic.

Just another KC money down the tubes project.

[Moniker]

Do you ever happen to drive down that way? I do; as a matter of fact, I drive it five times a week.

Despite your delusions that, and I quote, "The biggest slowdown of KC highways are idjit drivers getting into accidents because they're on their cell phones - not entrance ramps" there are traffic issues all along that entire area, stretching from 71 to 69 along 435 both ways. For those accidents that are caused by cellphones, they certainly don't comprise the majority or even a large minority of the accidents. Kneejerk all you want, but that's just not true to state that the largest amount of accidents caused in KC are due to the use of cell phones.

Besides, this is a pilot venture - it doesn't neccessarily mean that metering will become a mainstay of highway traffic in the future.

[ReutherMonkey]

it can be a mainstay for all I care - Along I-35S from Downtown to I-435 - where it's actually needed!

But yes, I used to drive that route every day, and now drive it every other day. When I'm smart I avoid it though and take 75th St to I-35S. I know the route intimately, and have spent more than enough time trying to avoid the traffic there. I've tried 69hwy south, state line to 135th St to 69hwy, I-435 to I-35S, and 75th st to I-35S, and the ONLY reason why i'd prefer to drive the busier I-35S from 75th st is solely because of the almost daily accidents on I-435 around antioch. Were it not for that, I would be able to drive 80mph in the left lane the entire way to gardner.

[DanCa]

I think ramp meters help and I've lived with them for the past 13 or so years in California and here in Denver.  It prevents having ten cars all trying to merge into traffic at once.  The meters here seem to have longer "reds" as the traffic gets heavier.  The funny thing is that there are two lanes so I always look at the car next to me and size it up to see who's going to pull ahead and merge first.  If my car is more powerful, then I normally take the lead and vice versa.

[bbqboy]

The ones in Portland are two lane, with one showing red and one showing green alternately.
There's no drag race with the guy next to you.

[DanCa]

The ones in Portland are two lane, with one showing red and one showing green alternately.
There's no drag race with the guy next to you.

Well that just takes all the fun out of it!

[phxcat]

The ones in Portland are two lane, with one showing red and one showing green alternately.
There's no drag race with the guy next to you.

That's how they are here too.  The one problem is that if you are following someone, the wait is long enough that the car next to you will be on the highway before your light turns green.

[KCMax]

Public meeting tonight on I-435 ramp meters

Tonight?s meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at Leawood Middle School, 2410 W. 123rd St. Officials from Kansas City Scout want to give drivers a chance to learn how the meters will work....

The meters are now being built and are expected to start operating before Thanksgiving.

[bbqboy]

Public meeting tonight on I-435 ramp meters

If they're already being built and installed, what is a public meeting supposed to accomplish?

[NDTeve]

hand holding...

[LenexatoKCMO]

hand holding...

More like ass covering.  When people inevitably bitch about the initial confusion and resulting back up ion the local TV news, MoDot, et al will be able to point and say "look at all of the great public outreach and education we did before hand". 

[Slappy the Wang]

Nice idea, but it will instigate more rear ending than a morning at the Scout.

[kard]

If they're already being built and installed, what is a public meeting supposed to accomplish?

i remember reading about this months ago, but i don't remember if there were meetings then.  could have been.