Daylight Savings Time Plays Havoc on Traffic



Bad timing: Pittsburgh traffic crews rush to fix mixed signals
By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, October 30, 2007


The return to standard time comes a week later now. Too bad nobody bothered to remind traffic engineers.
As part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, daylight-saving time began three weeks early in spring and ends at 2 a.m. Sunday.

But older, pre-programmed traffic signals that help manage rush hour and switch to flashing yellow late at night followed the protocol set by Congress in 1986 and returned to standard time this past weekend.

Motorists might not have noticed, but some congestion resulted when the lights for the 10th Street Bridge and the computer chip that controls signals Downtown were off by an hour, said Pittsburgh Public Works Director Guy Costa.


They changed on Saturday night when they weren't supposed to," said Costa, whose crews Monday were "switching them back."
It isn't a difficult change to make -- much like turning back an alarm clock -- and once the computers are reprogrammed, the problem shouldn't be repeated next year, he said.

During rush hour, lights are timed to allow more cars to get through intersections before changing.

Some communities reported minor problems, but Allegheny County officials couldn't make a fix because each of the county's 130 municipalities control their lights, said county spokesman Kevin Evanto.

Traffic signals controlled by Millvale on the three-lane 40th Street Bridge -- which switches its middle lane from inbound to outbound at 9 a.m. -- were an hour behind, but borough officials said they were unaware of any problem.

An older light at Greenhurst Drive and Cedar Boulevard in Mt. Lebanon will flash yellow an hour early until the clocks catch up Sunday.

Throughout Monroeville, the traffic lights are being reprogrammed this week.

"It's not a critical issue, of course, but it does take time to get the lights reprogrammed," said Monroeville police Chief George Polnar. "There might be some inconveniences at some intersections for a few days."

What a mess that is!

That's a mess.

I guess you can say who ever was supposed to program these lights are idiots

Oh my goodness, what a mess.

Yes it was and they are going to close one of our tunnels down for repairs coming in from the south so there will be another gridlock when that happens