SEATTLE -- Sitting at a red light can be a drag when you're in hurry.
"I spend a lot time in my car yelling," said Maryse O'Neill, a Seattle driver who has seen her commute time increase over the year.
Wait times could be reduced now that the city is working to synchronize downtown traffic lights.
Engineers with the Seattle Department of Transportation are now studying overall traffic patterns to determine the most efficient way to re-time all 300 signals in the Central Business District.
"The grid is simply outdated," said Dongho Chang, Seattle Traffic Engineer. Chang points out that the signals were timed around 10 years ago, but rapid growth has caused new bottlenecks that cause traffic backups throughout the city.
Chang said it could be fall before drivers will see any changes to the signals in the testing area between Jackson Street, Denny Way and Boren Avenue.
"When things happen like on Interstate 5, or we have a really big event, our new system would be able to accommodate travel needs for those events," said Chang. He is also touting a new system in the works that would allow SDOT to re-time traffic signals in real time depending on the commute that day.
SDOT is already testing driver habits using new technology that tracks WiFi signals transmitted on cell phones.
Other major cities like Los Angeles have invested in light synchronization, too. L.A. has synchronized every one of its 4,500 traffic signals across 469 square miles -- the first major metropolis in the world to do so. Officials report overall drive times have improved by 16%.
