Traffic Control

Sioux Falls Transit Innovation Meeting • 4/5/2019

The meeting was set. The Romantix Annex was the place. The date was set. The reservations were made. The reason was transit. The subject was buses. The facilitator was Bloomberg. The audience was well, there. The result was a lot of Post-it notes.

So the cameras showed up to the reserved 1st floor meeting room only to find a small note posted on a door saying the meeting was moved to the “unused” 3rd floor of the Romantix Annex City Center Administration Building.

It was interesting to read some of the Post-it Notes and hear the thought processes. We’re still wondering what the actual report is going to be. There were many preconceived thoughts still floating about the room based on the ideas perpetuated by the previous administration’s desire to quit wasting resources on anyone who couldn’t live in the southeast part of town or high in the sky apartments. It is always interesting to hear where policy makers are heading with their thoughts, whatever they may be.

You remember the building, our last mayor insisted was needed back in 2015 to use up our 2nd penny road, transit and infrastructure funds. This was our first time seeing the “empty” 3rd floor. Here’s a thought, as long as the town has paid for the space, why not put a decent set of speakers in it and start using as an actual meeting room? The walls have painted drywall so make it a flexible use room? The room worked well for this kind of meeting except for the sound. Don’t put a fancy ceiling in the area so it can remain flexible. Just a thought…

City version below;

Who’s on Second? Right on Red?

I often tell my fellow bike riders in Sioux Falls, you must ALWAYS ride defensively. Why? Because like there is bad golfers and bad fisherman, there are bad drivers. Sure, if some of these people would put down their cheese burgers, stop yelling at their kids or put down the cell phone, they may be better. But I can’t change that. And little white signs can’t change that either.

Many people are still butt hurt that the red light traffic light cameras were taken down. “Don’t you understand? Someone died.” Yes, ONE person died because ONE other person was a careless driver. My assumption is that careless driver was charged with a crime. So why punish the rest of us who are good drivers, or good pedestrians or good bicyclists?

The cameras were essentially taken down because they were not photographing the license plate with the driver, so there was constitutional law stuff going on.

But either way, as I have always understood it, whether there is a camera, a light or a sign, state law permits you to turn right on red AS LONG AS you come to a full stop, and yield in both directions before proceeeding. I have never waited for a light to turn green before turning right on red and I have never caused an accident or ran over anybody. Why, because I follow the very simple law of stopping and yielding before proceeding.

Yes it is tragic that pedestrians and bicyclists get ran over and die from reckless drivers, but why punish the good drivers for their crimes?

Big Brother is watching you?

These cameras have been lining the lights on Minnesota Ave. Pretty scary;

Two different systems, one on Minnesota Avenue and another on 41st Street, will go live this summer.

Troy Miller, traffic engineer with the city of Sioux Falls, says that two adaptive traffic systems will be activated in the coming months.  One will encompass eight intersections on Minnesota Avenue between Interstate 229 and 18th Street; another will span 13 intersections on 41stStreet between Marion Road and Minnesota Avenue.

The adaptive traffic systems control lights based on traffic. Miller says the systems identify traffic and make adjustments to shorten travel time.

I wonder how these cameras will hold up in a high wind storm? I also wonder what else they are ‘detecting’.