This question is in regards to the traffic signal at the intersection of First and Wren. When driving west on First Street, and entering the left turn lane, and the signal is red. Cars waiting. The green arrow comes on for the cars to proceed. The signal seems to have short time span for cars making left turns. On regular occasions, only four cars are able to clear the intersection before the amber arrow comes on. I have seen as many as three additional cars attempt to clear the intersection. Can more time be added to the left turn signal before a nasty accident happens?
Red Phone is delighted to look into this request, good caller, because Red Phone has no patience for short traffic signals.
Red Phone contacted Gilroy Traffic Engineer Henry Servin, who said he would be happy to look into this situation. Although this traffic light belongs to Caltrans, the City of Gilroy has permission to tweak the timing of the signals.
“We check the signal controller once a month, and monitor the traffic patterns once a year,” Servin said.
“It’s possible that after the recent heavy rains, the magnetic loop sensors in the ground may need their sensitivity adjusted.”
The timing of the signals can be adjusted by the hour for rush hour traffic, after school traffic, weekend traffic, commercial/shopping corridor traffic, holiday traffic and for events such as the annual Garlic Festival. An interesting fact: Traffic lights are set to be dimmer at night and brighter in the daytime for better contrast.
If you would like to request traffic lights to be checked out, call Red Phone at (408) 842-9070 or call the City of Gilroy at (408) 846-0451.
“Please be as specific as possible, including the direction of traffic and time of day that you observed the problem,” Servin said.
