Worst Traffic Lights in Lower Mainland

[dharper]

I don't have any specific light to say is my worst, but in general I would have to say Surrey. No were else in the Lower Mainland do I get so many 'red waves', where you hit every red light on a road, unless you speed. 88th Ave and 104th Ave are my most hated for such.

[flipper316]

Pretty much any intersection in Surrey. Ever since they moved to the Vancouver model where cross lights are automatic with a full ped light it's terrible. Especially in light traffic situations. One example is Fraser and 148th. So frustrating driving along at 11 pm and all of a sudden you have to stop at 148th. And for what? No car or ped crossing. Beyond frustrating. No efficiency whatsoever.

Even worse are intersections where the left-turning car gets priority while 30 cars in the through lanes have to wait. Or no cars turning left and the arrow still activates. What's the point in that? Just to piss people off for no reason? 128 and 88 has that. KGB and Fraser. 152 and 105. KGB and the Coast Capital building intersection. So dumb.

[Trainguy]

Worst traffics lights for sure are the mess they created at the CN intermodal yard on GEC. It only allows one stream of traffic to go through the light at a time. People now ignore "no right turn on red" lights.

I do agree that Surrey has horrible traffic light patterns. Turns red on main streets for nothing...

[WestCoastEcho]

They should consider banning left turns at all intersections for all of the Downtown core in Vancouver for all hours of the day, not just the rush hour period at certain intersections. Would help ease traffic flow along the major arteries.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by WestCoastEcho

They should consider banning left turns at all intersections for all of the Downtown core in Vancouver for all hours of the day, not just the rush hour period at certain intersections. Would help ease traffic flow along the major arteries.

all arterial's in the CoV should have banned left-turns, (when there is no lane at the minimum), from 7am-7pm; at the minimum. also, all left turn lanes should get signals.

also, all the residential back lanes that open onto arterial's should be sealed at the arterial as well.

[s211]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

all arterial's in the CoV should have banned left-turns, (when there is no lane at the minimum), from 7am-7pm; at the minimum.

The city's lack of left turn lanes is pure ideology, and blindered ideology at that.

All in the name of pedestrian safety.

[p78hub]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

all arterial's in the CoV should have banned left-turns, (when there is no lane at the minimum), from 7am-7pm; at the minimum. also, all left turn lanes should get signals.

also, all the residential back lanes that open onto arterial's should be sealed at the arterial as well.

Oak and Granville essentially are reduced from 6 lanes to 2 because of this. You see it especially on Oak at rush hour. You stay in the middle because of buses in the curb lane and people turning left at Park, 57th, 33rd, and all the side streets in between.

[Brison]

Allow me to express my deep disdain for the lights at the intersection of Keith Rd and Brooksbank Ave.

The left-turn signal east of the intersection is delayed to the point where it doesn't give enough time for drivers to left-turn, leading to a line-up past Mountain Highway when half the time there isn't any traffic coming from Brooksbank.

It takes five minutes for a green light on your side if you're unfortunate enough to barely miss it, and it no doubt contributes to the overbearingly long line-ups on both the new bridge to Mountain Highway and on the west side of Keith. The times where there's construction definitely doesn't help, either.

The line-ups on Keith during rush hour has ruled out taking route 232 to Phibbs from Lonsdale to the point where going to the quay and catching the 239 proves to be faster. On one unfortunate day while I was on the 232, there were four buses stuck on Keith, and the traffic flow was so bad it ended up being faster walking down Keith.

It blows my mind as to how badly designed that intersection is. All I can hope for is the City/District to deal with it sooner or later...

[flipper316]

Originally Posted by s211

The city's lack of left turn lanes is pure ideology, and blindered ideology at that.

All in the name of pedestrian safety.

Don't forget the war on cars too.

[waves]

Originally Posted by Brison

Allow me to express my deep disdain for the lights at the intersection of Keith Rd and Brooksbank Ave.

I pass through this intersection on a regular basis and share your disdain. I have timed out the cycle and it seems to be near 2 minutes exactly. I turn my engine off when I have to sit at the light. It's also awful for cyclists with the construction everywhere and traffic back-ups, particularly coming down either of the hills. I avoid the intersection whenever possible.

I hope when all the work around that intersection is finished it will finally flow better and they will shorten the signal cycle. 2 minutes is wayyyy to long.

Also, they should have finished all the work around the intersection before closing the old overpass. They had the opportunity to work on that intersection ages ago when there could have been way less impact.

[jlousa]

I always thought the Coquitlam area around Coquitlam mall is terrible with their super long offset left turn lights.

[stump]

For me it's Marine Drive. The entire thing west of Boundary. I think that someone working for the city is trying to see how many traffic lights they can pack onto a main arterial before they retire. The traffic at River District is going to be a total nightmare once all the buildings are done unless Translink dumps a ton of buses there for residents.

The previous comments about left turns also applies here. Drivers will skip an intersection with a traffic signal and then try to turn left over Marine drive which inevitably ends up with 40 cars sitting behind them in the left lane. As other people have said, there should be no left turns except at controlled intersections.

Also as an individual intersection it's the one at Maywood and Willingdon in Burnaby. I swear it must be red 90% of the time I hit that intersection driving on Willingdon. It's the main reason I don't drive that road anymore to get to work.

[dharper]

I wonder if the engineers ever watch an intersection, to see if what they original programmed a light to do, is the right program. I guess it does happen, but not often enough.

The intersection at 88 Ave South Intersection, and 200th St, in Langley has been poorly timed for as long as I can remember. If I am sitting in the left turn lane, 200th street north at 88 Ave South Intersection, waiting to turn left, there is always patches of no cars coming South on 200th, but I still must wait. I always know when the light is going to change, because it is poorly timed with the next light north, and when those cars reach the intersection I am waiting at, they get a red, and then I can turn left.

Same intersection.
2 left turn lanes on 200th Ave South from the Port Kells Industrial area, to enter Hwy 1 East, has another poorly timed light, on the on ramp. It frequently backs traffic up into the 200th&88th south intersection.

[flipper316]

Originally Posted by dharper

I wonder if the engineers ever watch an intersection, to see if what they original programmed a light to do, is the right program. I guess it does happen, but not often enough.

The intersection at 88 Ave South Intersection, and 200th St, in Langley has been poorly timed for as long as I can remember. If I am sitting in the left turn lane, 200th street north at 88 Ave South Intersection, waiting to turn left, there is always patches of no cars coming South on 200th, but I still must wait. I always know when the light is going to change, because it is poorly timed with the next light north, and when those cars reach the intersection I am waiting at, they get a red, and then I can turn left.

Same intersection.
2 left turn lanes on 200th Ave South from the Port Kells Industrial area, to enter Hwy 1 East, has another poorly timed light, on the on ramp. It frequently backs traffic up into the 200th&88th south intersection.

One of the worst area of lights right there in the lower mainland. Should be nuked and rebuilt from scratch.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by Brison

Allow me to express my deep disdain for the lights at the intersection of Keith Rd and Brooksbank Ave.

I'd suggest that this should improve considerably in a few months when the overpass is fully opened.

[vannick]

This is specifically for pedestrians, my opinion is Gilmore and Lougheed hwy in Burnaby. considering these lights are next to a rapid transit site, these lights are not programed with pedestrians in mind.

[s211]

Can I nominate Granville @ King Ed as the most messed up and dangerous intersection? The lack of north/south left-turn bays and wide boulevard there create an incredibly dangerous situation, versus what exists at Oak and King Ed in comparison.

And what's the city's response? Cameras.

[makr3trkr]

Originally Posted by s211

Can I nominate Granville @ King Ed as the most messed up and dangerous intersection? The lack of north/south left-turn bays and wide boulevard there create an incredibly dangerous situation, versus what exists at Oak and King Ed in comparison.

And what's the city's response? Cameras.

for years the left turn delayed green southbound didn't even turn on, even with a line of 30+ cars

[s211]

Originally Posted by makr3trkr

for years the left turn delayed green southbound didn't even turn on, even with a line of 30+ cars

I swear that someone in the city road engineering department also has a car repair shop business on the side.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by makr3trkr

for years the left turn delayed green southbound didn't even turn on, even with a line of 30+ cars

It is a terrible intersectiona nd that turn light is totally random. But then all of Granville is a dangerous embarassment for all the visitors coming from YVR.