For a long time now I have been hearing how Raleigh has a plan to syncronize the traffic lights throughout the city. I think this is a great idea as it will reduce air pollution, reduce traffic congestion, reduce gas consumption, save everyone time and money, etc. I don't quite understand why it should be so expensive or take so long to implement. In fact I believe there should be a sense of urgency regarding this matter, not just here in Raleigh but everywhere nationwide. The amount of fuel that could be saved annually nationwide is phenominal not to mention the traffic congestion that could be reduced significantly.
It appears to me that the NC DOT already does syncronize lights during certain times of the day. I say this because I travel Six Forks everyday and there are definitely times during the day where I hit mostly green lights all the way from Strickland through North Hills. Other times of the day I hit a dozen or more red lights through the same stretch of road. It doesn't seem to matter how much traffic there is or what speed I'm traveling. I am quite sure I am not imagining this. Since this is so, why doesn't the NC DOT stick with traffic light cycles that seem to work just fine instead of changing them throughout the day. I have noticed this on other roads throughout the area as well. I believe this would be easy to prove.
Math
The math they need to use for calculating the volumes and in both directions of all the crossroads as well as the main roads for proper light cycling goes way beyond my visualization too... and yes I've noticed the inconvenient light cyclings, indeed I have - a by-product of poor city planning?