Why don’t you coordinate all the time?
The highest benefit from coordination comes when large groups of cars travel in the same direction in a short time frame over relatively long distances (think commuters not shoppers). During the non-peak times, there are fewer cars and shorter trips and therefore less benefit from coordination to the overall driving public (in fact so much less in some cases that coordination could actually result in longer drive times on average for the drivers on the road during that time). In addition, drivers are less willing to accept (have less patience for) the side street and left turn delays that are part of coordination during quieter/lower volume times of the day.

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1. What is Traffic Signal Coordination?
2. What is the best way/method for getting through the most signals without stopping?
3. Even if I drive at the speed limit I don’t seem to make it through all the lights. Why?
4. Which traffic signals are coordinated?
5. When are they coordinated?
6. Are signals coordinated in both directions?
7. Does coordination “break” at major intersections because the cross street volume is also very high?
8. Sometimes I have to wait almost 1-½ minutes (but can seem like 5 minutes) to get a green on a side street or a left turn even when there seems to gaps in traffic. Why?
9. Why don’t you coordinate all the time?
10. How do the signals operate when you don’t coordinate?