Bill Submitted To Delay Start Of 'Don't Block The Box'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore City bill has been submitted to delay the start of "Don't Block The Box" fines.
City officials say an outdated network of traffic signals is part of the blame for congestion, and it will take millions of dollars to fix.
Warnings for drivers were supposed to start being issued Tuesday, but that has been delayed. Many want the signals synced up before issuing fines, but it is much more than that -- the entire system needs an overhaul.
RELATED: Baltimore Mayor Announces 'Don't Block The Box' Traffic Safety Program
Red lights, bumper-to-bumper traffic, then the sound of rush-hour traffic in downtown Baltimore is never a pretty sight.
"It's heavy, very heavy," says Wendy Weeks of Baltimore.
City officials say it's an outdated network of traffic signals that are playing a major role in the congestion.
Officials have said the system currently has signals running on outdated technology that's prone to failures and less responsive to issues compared to the systems found in other major cities.
"They're not synced up. The lights aren't synced up," Weeks said.
"I go through a green light, then it's a red light. I was like, 'It was just green a second ago!' It's literally a nightmare and I take the bus," Baltimore resident Angela Corder said.
The call for action comes as the city's block the box law could soon be in effect.
City Council President Jack Young says he's not opposed to fining those drivers breaking the rules but doesn't want to set them up for failure.
Young says the lights are poorly timed and need to be fixed before they start fining drivers.
"Adding that the signals in those targeted areas for the 'block the box' fines, have to be the number-one priority," Young said.
Young says he has a meeting with Department of Transportation on Wednesday.
Officials tell WJZ they already have $20 million set aside in next year's capital budget to reconstruct the traffic signals.
This includes signal rewiring, traffic monitoring cameras and replacement of the signal-management software. This is in addition to funds to be used for a city-wide retiming. There are other needed improvements, which will be addressed in next year's Capital Improvement Program requests.
DOT tells WJZ that fewer than a third of the city's 1,300 electronic traffic signals have reliable communication with the downtown transportation command center in a way that allows for immediate, remote adjustments. without this connection, the status of the signal operation can only be determined in the field.
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