Ramp Meter example essay topic

Ms. Elaine Jones Dear Ms. Jones, Congratulations on your recent move to Milwaukee. This truly is a great city, and every member of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation strives to make it even greater. Part of this effort is the incorporation of ramp meters into the local freeway system. While waiting in line at the entrance ramp, it may seem as though the meter is inefficient, but once you enter the freeway, your travel time and convenience is greatly improved.

Milwaukee is not the only city to adopt this new technology. Madison and Minneapolis are nearby cities that have recently updated their traffic system to include ramp meters. In fact, Minneapolis was the site of a recent study to show the effectiveness of these meters. To conduct the study, the ramp meters were removed for six weeks.

The results were stunning. Freeway speeds declined by 7%, travel times were increased by 22% or about five minutes longer, and crashes increased by 26%. The study proved that the wait in a line at the entrance ramp is offset by the increase in highway speeds. You may still wonder how this increase in safety and highway speed is achieved by these ramp meters. The goal of the meter is to space the merging traffic out as it enters the highway. When vehicles enter one at a time, merging is smoother and highway flow becomes more regular.

You may have also noticed that there is a second, less used lane, on many metered entrance ramps. These ramps are reserved for High Occupancy Vehicles. This includes Busses, Motorcycles, and vehicles with two or more occupants. The reason that this lane exists is to encourage commuters to carpool and to promote the use of busses.

Carpooling will cut down on travel time, as you will be able to avoid the wait to enter the freeway and enjoy the benefits that the ramp meters provide. As the ramp meters are still relatively new, we expect that some motorists will not know how to use them properly. The meters work best when everyone is completely informed about how to properly use them. When you drive onto the entrance ramp, a flashing yellow light will inform you if the ramp meter is operating. If you are traveling alone, you need to use the regular traffic lane. If you qualify for the High Occupancy Vehicle Lane because you are traveling with two or more people, you may use this lane.

Pull up to the stop line and wait for your lanes signal to turn green when it is your turn. Enter the freeway as you normally would, and enjoy the faster travel times provided by the ramp meters. If you have any more questions, feel free to write us again, or visit the Wisconsin DOT website at web Thank you for your concern on this matter, John Smith District Traffic Engineer.