The Monday Morning Commute: Ask Traffic Engineer Paul Basha: Why Are There Long Queues Of Vehicles On Freeways Late In The Rush Hour?
Fascinating columns on future freeway need and freeway capacity. Though why are there long queues of vehicles on freeways late in the rush hour? If every vehicle gets on at an entrance and leaves at an exit, why don’t the queues disappear quickly? By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management Fascinating columns on future […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask Traffic Engineer Paul Basha: How Much Traffic Can A Freeway Handle?
By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management How much traffic can a freeway handle? A lot. More detail? As a data-obsessed engineer, can do. The Arizona Department of Transportation provides a highly informative website with extensive traffic count data on both freeways and arterials. When freeways first open, especially in distant suburban areas, the […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask Traffic Engineer Paul Basha: Will The Metro Phoenix Freeway System Be Able To Handle The Expected Population Increase?
Will the metro Phoenix freeway system be able to handle the expected population increase? By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, metropolitan Phoenix had a population of 4.65 million in 2017 and is projected to have a population of 7.70 million by 2050. (And 60 Minutes reported […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask Traffic Engineer Paul Basha: What Is Walkability?
Walk is walkability? By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management Where on the scale of enjoyable-to-acceptable-to-tolerable-to-avoidance are these various environments? All are within a five-minute walk of each other. Certainly a wide unobstructed path is preferable. I understand the moon is wide and unobstructed. Plants are good, as are different shapes of something. Ugly […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask traffic engineer Paul Basha: What would be the best transportation system in a metropolitan area?
By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management Always interesting commentary in your columns. Comparison to other cities in the United States is informative. What would be the best transportation system in a metropolitan area? Definition of best is relative – very much dependent on each person’s perspective and experience. Most freeways: likely Los Angeles. […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask traffic engineer Paul Basha: Will electric vehicles ever be commonplace?
By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management Will electric vehicles ever be commonplace? First, imagine just before the turn of the century, not the last one, the one before that. Whenever you wanted to go somewhere, you walked. The wealthy might ride a horse, if the distance or appearance were long enough to justify […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask Traffic Engineer Paul Basha: What Else Can You Tell Us About Travel During The Pandemic?
By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management What else can you tell us about travel during the pandemic? United States travel data related to the Coronavirus Disease response is being compiled by the Maryland Transportation Institute in partnership with the Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory, both associated with the University of Maryland. The citations for this […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask Traffic Engineer Paul Basha: What’s The Deal With Traffic Signals That Flash Yellow Or Red In The Wee Wee Hours?
By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management What’s the deal with traffic signals that flash yellow or red in the wee wee hours? Thirty years ago or so, in more rural areas in the Great Lake and Atlantic Coast states, during very early morning hours, traffic signals would not show the typical red-yellow-green, but would […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask Traffic Engineer Paul Basha: When A Driver Enters An Intersection On A Yellow Light, Are They Legally Required To Clear The Intersection Before The Light Turns Red?
By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management When a driver enters an intersection on a yellow light, are they legally required to clear the intersection before the light turns red? Yes or no – depends on the state. Yellow lights first appeared in 1920, invented by a police officer, when the first three-color traffic signal […]
The Monday Morning Commute: Ask Traffic Engineer Paul Basha: Traffic Flow Continues To Be Better. Has The Corona Virus Resulted In Significant Traffic Pattern Changes? If So, Is It Permanent?
By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management Traffic Flow Continues To Be Better. Has The Corona Virus Resulted In Significant Traffic Pattern Changes? If So, Is It Permanent? Yes. Likely. First some historic data. National Public Radio, Morning Edition, Marketplace Morning Report, on Wednesday 2 September, discussed this topic. They referenced the 2019 Urban […]