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SOUTH BURLINGTON - For commuters in Chittenden County, it
might help to know there actually are people whose job it is
to reduce the amount of time drivers spend sitting at traffic
signals.
The Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO)
has completed a study of the county's 156 traffic signals and
has embarked on a plan to improve their operation.
"
Along with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, our goal is
to optimize the timing at all traffic signals in the county.
Where possible, we will work to coordinate signals in locations
where several signals exist along a corridor. Our plan is to
have the timing set up so that groups of cars traveling down
the road will hit one green light after another," said Susan
Smichenko of the CCMPO. A smoother, faster ride to work will
not only benefit drivers, but will help automobiles operate more
efficiently with less air pollution.
The CCMPO's "Signal Optimization Plan" includes all
traffic signals throughout the county and outlines a program
to improve their operation on a regular four-year schedule. The
plan will start next month with a test project on Dorset Street
in South Burlington.
Another group of signals to be coordinated with a new timing
system is on the Route 15 corridor that connects Essex Junction
through Colchester and Winooski to Burlington. The CCMPO's regional
approach provides for coordination across several municipalities.
The Signal Optimization Plan is one of several approaches the
CCMPO is taking to help accommodate the county's increasing traffic.
The CCMPO, established in 1982 under federal law, is a locally
controlled organization that helps regional decision-makers and
constituents plan, prioritize, and coordinate the use of federal
funds for transportation projects. It also addresses on-going
transportation-related policy issues.
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