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July 26, 2004
To: Jeanne Chase, Dick Smith, Dale Volker,
Ken Kuminski, and Evans Town Supervisor
Re: Route 5 Configuration
I am writing to you to express my
displeasure in the current configuration of Route 5. This new
configuration has shown to be nothing but a failure. The
theory of bringing about traffic calming to this stretch of
highway has only brought about traffic congestion. Through
the use of quantitative mathematic models, this surely should
have been predicted. Quantitative methods utilize analytical
techniques for problem solving and decision making in business
management. The brilliance of this type of methodology is the
data is not allowed to have inherent bias or to be manipulated
by human emotion. Essentially to define the system, there are
some characteristics or assumptions that need to be drawn.
Below I will define these characteristics/assumptions.
-
Population Source
a.
Finite
b.
Infinite
Given the trial period of this test, this
assumption is extremely troubling as the population source
will not include school buses, educators, and the increased
travel associated with the returning college age student.
2.
Arrival Characteristics
a.
Pattern (controllable or
uncontrollable)
b.
Size of Arrival (single, batch,
constant)
c.
Degree of Patience (are they patient
and stay in line, or will they be impatient and change their
pattern)
3. Physical Feature of the Line
a. Length of Line (limited capacity,
infinite potential length)
b. Number (single or multiple)
4. Selection from the Line
a. First come, first served
(this is because one cannot make “reservations”)
5. Service Facility
a.
Structure (single channel or multi channel) i.e. open lanes
6. Exit
a. Upon exit can the source return to
the population
In this case, it is quite common that
people utilize this stretch of highway for more than just
driving to and from work.
In following the reconfiguration
discussions of Route 5, I have never seen a model that would
predict the problems I face on a daily basis. Enough with the
boring mathematics, but I do hope that you have gained an
appreciation what a sound model does as a predictor of
events. One needs to remove bias from any decision. This
bias can come in the form of perceived issues, politicking, or
a person thrusting their beliefs onto others. Take the
“feelings” out of your decision making process and your data
should work for you.
Because of this maligned study, I daily see
motorists riding the center lane as they attempt to squeeze
into the “train” of traffic that flows by. I have seen a
young bicyclist get drawn into the draft of two large trucks
as they passed him. The traffic is not dispersed, but it is
aligned. Because of this single lane alignment, I have waited
10 minutes for a garbage truck go ~ 1 mile. I can only
imagine what this wait will be like once the afternoon school
buses begin to roll.
Through the guise of “traffic calming” the
resulting negative are occurring:
·
My travel time has been
increased to an unacceptable level given the reduced volume of
summer traffic.
·
My fuel costs have been
increased due to reduced efficiencies. My 17-mile trip home
would normally flow with very little interference, but now,
the ride consists of more stop and goes driving followed by
multiple waits for the various traffic lights.
·
For families with children in
day care or adults that try to balance work responsibilities
with evening children activities, I find this reconfiguration
to be completely unacceptable.
The historical problems related to this
stretch of Route 5 have nothing to do with “traffic calming.”
First and foremost, Route 5 is a major thoroughfare in WNY.
It always has been, and with continued sprawl it will be
depended upon to provide ease of access to goods, services,
and individuals of WNY. Traffic calming or as it should be
called, traffic congestion will not solve the #1 problem with
any highway and that is human error. Bad decisions by
pedestrians and drivers are the root cause of the perceived
problem of Route 5. I say perceived, because no data has ever
supported the hypothesis that Route 5 is any more dangerous a
highway when the volume of vehicles that utilize it is
calculated in. The opinions of a select few has somehow
overshadowed how the majority of the users of this stretch of
highway feel.
A fantastic model for how this stretch of
highway should appear can be found in the Derby section of
Route 5. The ~1.25 mile segment that contains four lanes and
a center turning lane has shown to be trouble free for the
last decade that I have lived in the area. The Derby stretch
of Route 5 also offers a higher density of individuals that
enter/exit this part of the highway than the Amsdell to
Pleasant segment that is currently found within the
configuration. If the residents along the reconfigured
portion of Route 5 truly wanted a safer road, they would
readily embrace a wider road with a center turning lane that
contains either an expansive shoulder or sidewalks. But to do
this, the affluent individuals along the lake would have their
fancy fences and brick pillar structures removed. As Eldridge
Cleaver once stated, “you are either part of the solution, or
part of the problem.” To date, the individuals along this
stretch of highway only contribute to the problem.
Speed in and of itself is not the main
issue along this portion of Route 5. Speed combined with
congestion and poor driving skills requires one to have an
active and attentive mind. It does not matter where we drive,
a poorly driven vehicle can do damage anywhere. It is not an
issue that is solely found on Route 5. Again the human errors
associated with laziness, bad decision making, and general
in-attentiveness is not solved by this poorly constructed
reconfiguration. If speed was the problem, the New York State
Thruway would be the most dangerous highway around. But it is
not because traffic is allowed to flow without obstructions.
I hope the opinions I have offered to you
today can be used to correct a major inconvenience that myself
and many others face on a daily basis. As for me, you should
note that I too live on Route 5 and if it really matters to
you, I would also like to tell you that the speed limit is 55
MPH approximately 50 feet from my front door. I chose to live
where I am today for convenience. Like 99.9% of the people
that live on Route 5, the road preceded my existence. In
fact, the reason I could afford my home is because it is
located on Route 5. I am sure living on Route 5 may be an
inconvenience for some, but I have no sympathy for these
individuals as no one is forced to live someplace they do not
like. The decision to live where they are was a choice, if
you do not like that choice, use another option available to
you and that is move.
I look forward to the day this maligned
study is corrected. This experiment has gone on long enough
to show three lanes does not work now, nor will it get any
better in the fall when traffic volumes increase due to
students returning to the schools.
Yours truly,
Scott W. Breeden
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