RICHMOND, Va. – Driving on Richmond’s Broad Street can be a headache, especially during rush hour with the short light cycles but relief could be on the way.
As Richmonder’s are getting use to the new GRTC Pulse lanes on Broad Street, views have reached out to CBS 6 and Richmond City Councilwomen Kim Gray complaining about the backups.
“They are seeing backups, especially during peak time and rush hour,” Gray said.
CBS 6 crews took to the road to test the wait times at several intersections.
At the intersection of Broad Street and Boulevard, there was a wait of 1:37. And at Broad and Tilden, the wait was 1:30.
The National Association of City Transportation officials said 60-90 seconds is the average cycle for traffic lights.
And with the new Pulse system, traffic lights could see improvement soon with the implication of the transit signal priority.
“Transit signal priority, or TSP, it’s smart, it’s means the buses are always telling the network were there are and buses have the capability of holding a green light longer,” said Carrie Rose Pace/ GRTC.
That system is still collecting data.
“The new traffic patterns, the bus service has compounded a lot of backups but we are asking people to be patient until the light technology for the Pulse to can be installed,” Gray said.
Sharon North with Richmond Department of Public Works sent the following statement about the problem:
“The city has a retiming project underway. We are expecting to start implementing the new traffic signal settings in late September or early October. We anticipate final completion by December. If there are motorists waiting longer than expected for a green light, they should contact us at AskPublicWorks@Richmondgov.com so we can verify if the equipment is working properly. LANE construction is still identifying issues and resolving punchlist items associated with the BRT project. They will be responsible through the observation period to monitor and adjust / correct any deficiencies associated with the BRT operations. If you are waiting several minutes for a left turn, please do the following:
- Be sure to stop on or near the stop bar. The new detectors require you to be within a certain zone.
- If the problem persists, please contact DPW and identify the time of day, location, and the issue you experienced. DPW will route the issue to the appropriate entity based upon whether it is BRT related or not.
