Motorists driving on Palo Alto's streets may find things a little smoother along some major corridors, thanks to smart technology the City is rolling out to improve traffic signal timing. All of the projects are aimed at making travel on the streets safer and more efficient for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Starting this week, traffic signals along Embarcadero Road from Bryant Street to Geng Road will be re-programmed to adjust based on "time of day" traffic patterns. Currently, all of the signals are on a continuous timing plan that doesn't take into account the different traffic flows during different hours of the day. As the new timing is rolled out, City staff will be making adjustments in the field to ensure that the new programming is operating as efficiently as possible. 

As motorists travel more smoothly around town, the City is also working to keep pedestrians safe. The City will implement leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) at downtown intersections to give pedestrians a three-second head start when entering an intersection with a green signal. LPIs enhance the visibility of pedestrians in the intersection and help reinforce the pedestrian right-of-way for vehicles making turns.   

"Green waves" will also be rolled out downtown along Bryant Street and University Avenue to make bicycling on these important routes easier. Green waves uses modified traffic signal timing so that bicyclists encounter a series of green lights as they ride along a street. The green wave signals will be timed for 12 mph to allow bicyclists to travel more easily down these two corridors. 

For further reading, visit the Palo Alto municipal webpage here.