Study May Boost Highway Ramp Meters

Tuesday, December 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) â€” Transportation experts are eagerly awaiting the results of a Minnesota study on freeway entrance ramp meters, as officials consider installing the devices on more highways nationwide.

A ramp meter is a type of stop light designed to regulate highway traffic by controlling how quickly cars can enter from on-ramps. It allows only one vehicle to enter a highway at a time, delaying the next car for as much as 15 seconds.

Many residents of the Twin Cities blame the ramp meters for traffic congestion, and hoped the study would spell the lights' demise. Most traffic management professionals, however, are convinced that ramp meters improve traffic flow.

With the pioneering study, which was pushed through the Legislature by critics of the meters, all 430 meters in the Twin Cities area were shut off in October and November to see what the effect would be. It was believed to be the first time a mature freeway ramp meter system has been turned off.

Now, with the initial results in, some meters will be left off permanently, while others will have their timing or hours of use adjusted.

Mark Cutler, lead consultant for the study, said the study appears to show that when the meters were all shut off, commutes took longer for those farthest from downtown but were shorter for those who live closer in.

``We will have an incredible empirical database about how ramp meters affect safety and traffic,'' he said.

He added, though, that people seem to support fewer meters, even when meter-free life may increase their commuting time. He said they feel they have more control over their drive without the devices.

But the widely watched study could create more rather than less use of metering on urban freeways all across the nation.

Kansas City, which has no ramp meters, plans to add them soon, according to Sabin Yanez of the Missouri Transportation Department.

``We knew this study was going to be complete in 2001,'' Yanez said. ``It was good timing, because we were looking at implementation in 2002-2003.''

Yanez is optimistic about the benefits of ramp meters and thinks the Minnesota study will help quiet public criticism.

``From a traffic engineering standpoint, there is data that has been out there for 20-30 years that metering does work,'' Yanez said. ``The biggest issue to show the public is how it's benefiting them.''

The study was conducted by Cambridge Systematics, which is now analyzing the resulting data. A report to the Minnesota Legislature is due by Feb. 1.

â€”â€”â€”

On the Net:

State transportation department ramp meter study: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/rampmeterstudy

Site of state Sen. Dick Day, a ramp meter critic: http://www.freedomtodrivemn.com