Ask NOW: Mayfair Road traffic light poles seem bulky to reader

Traffic light poles on Mayfair Road are unusually bulky

Issue: A reader wants to know why the new stoplight posts on Mayfair Road are so bulky.

Status: Elizabeth Schneider, signal operating engineer for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, said WisDOT has been installing monotube poles that are strong enough to hold longer arms so a signal head can hang above each lane.

She also gave me an update about the signal timing along Mayfair Road, which I wrote about a few weeks ago. As I explained then, the new signals are on an adaptive system that collects data from the pavement. They are currently collecting data to determine the best timing. The data collection will be done in February and the adaptive system will then be turned on, Schneider explained.

Schneider added that, overall, the timing of the signal cycle along Mayfair is now longer in order to allow more cars to get through on each green light. The green light last longer for all directions, so even though there may be a longer wait, once the light turns green, more cars are able to get through.

Wauwatosa NOW .com

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