Metering Lights are a total JOKE

I've been doing the same commute for 20+ years. They have recently added metering lights along my back and forth route. This particular section of highway I have never Ever have any slow down or congestion on this section of the freeway. I know metering lights are supposed to ease the bottlenecks created when two freeways join. But all this particular one is doing is slowing everything down. I don't understand how these metering lights are making anything better. IMO things are 100% worse.

Until the metering lights were installed this is a part of the freeway where you're going almost 70 miles an hour

They have effectively turned eight freeway system that worked perfectly well into a parking lot

There is a section on 101 southbound where you have about a half a mile run up until you enter the freeway now with the metering lights it's a drag race to the metering lights. Where people then have to slam on their brakes so that they can wait for a momentary flashing light to speed up again. Talk about a waste of gas and wear and tear on your brakes not to mention the CO output of cars speeding up slowing down and then speeding up again

I never stop at these.

I'm convinced that metering lights are just another BS project to keep union employees employed, along with several other unnecessary caltrans projects. In my town, there's pretty much a stop sign or light at every intersection, metering lights are everywhere just backing up city streets that used to be fine. Meanwhile, the Altimont pass driving surface is so bad that I won't even drive my car over the west bound pass. Tearing apart cars, and it's a dead motorcyclist waiting to happen. Very dangerous.

My biggest gripe about the idiots at Caltrans is the over the San Mateo Hwy 92 connector to 880. They spent years, and probably hundred of millions of dollars on creating a new connector to ease congestion and it did absolutely nothing. They dedicated only two lanes to merging with 880 (which is exactly what we started with), and sent the other two into downtown hayward. Stupid.

Where is this in SoCal...?

Look into how much money your local politicians took in "campaign contributions" from the company that builds and installs the light systems. This is the problem with privatization. When the government builds and installs the systems it costs the tax payers money. When private companies build and install the systems it costs the tax payers money AND somebody profits from the tax payer's money. Now that the roads are properly backed up they will hire a private road construction company to expand the highway and there will be even more profits at the tax payer's expense. Privatization.

Why are you blaming the employees for this J-Rod? Do you really think that the guy that stands and holds the stop/slow sign had a hand in the decision to install these meters?? Those union employees work for a private company. City/state governments haven't run their own road crews for decades.

Originally Posted by grant_west

There is a section on 101 southbound where you have about a half a mile run up until you enter the freeway now with the metering lights it's a drag race to the metering lights. Where people then have to slam on their brakes so that they can wait for a momentary flashing light to speed up again. Talk about a waste of gas and wear and tear on your brakes not to mention the CO output of cars speeding up slowing down and then speeding up again

They put a meter there?!! I know exactly where this is, never had an issue during heavy traffic.

This is a pic of the same road and the flow with. The metering lights turned off . Zero problems you don't need to touch your brakes and you glide right onto 101

They appear to have the timing off as the freeway you are merging into looks like light traffic. The idea is to limit the inflow onto the freeway and ease congestion. In WA most have HOV lanes that bypass the metering. I usually just blow by them even when single. The ticket is $100 so I play the odds

No Eric. I'm blaming people much higher up.

380

Just wait for the ones with 1 lane dedicated to HOV and a cop sitting in the median pulling over drivers using the HOV lane unlawfully. Makes things 10x worse!