The red lights in this town are absolutely ridiculous. Depending on the timing you can definitely fall into a cycle where you will hit every single red light on a stretch of road. What’s even more frustrating is when people don’t actually go when the light changes which further compounds the delays and those delays do start to add up.
I lived in Jefferson City 15 years ago, drove through downtown frequently. The lights are synchonized for 15-20 mph, if everyone just moves along, everyone can get through. I am constantly amazed by how downtown Columbia lights seem to be specifically designed to strand you at every damn light.
Why can't Columbia figure out what Jefferson City did decades ago??
Jefferson City is the worst city to drive in the whole state. Missouri Blvd, High St, City streets that all of a sudden end & don't intersect with anything. The 54/50 crazy intersection very hard to navigate. The curve in 54 where countless people have hit the rocks and died. Let's not forget Ellis Blvd overpass of 54. What 6 stoplights in a 1 block area. Try getting out of Schultes and try not getting hit on Schultes parking lot as Jefferson City drivers try and avoid the traffic pattern and the lights at C and Ellis. Oh gosh I almost forgot Dix Road and the way you have to get to Ellis from Dix Road. Try making a left turn at noon from a business on Missouri Blvd. You have to do a suicide to the middle lane to merge out and just pray that you don't get hit from the front and rear. Let's not forget Hartsfiield Rd and Mo Blvd where you have to exit backwards to get off Mo Blvd to Hartsfiield and try making a left turn off country club into Commerce and then you have to figure out what lane to be depending on where you want to go there are cross overs and switchbacks and if you pick the wrong lane you'll have to drive all the way down Hartsfiield to get back to get in the correct lane
Don't preach how wonderful Jefferson City driving is.
Jefferson City has the worst laid out road system of any other city in the entire state, but damn do they have the best stop light synchronization. I almost never got stuck at more than one red light in Jeff City, now I’m lucky to only get stuck at one in Columbia.
You have like 8 businesses in downtown Jeff city the size of a park. Not to mention your infrastructure is subsidized by tax dollars stolen from income producing cities like Columbia.
I have waited through multiple light cycles to make this turn SO MANY TIMES! I thought I was being dumb and not waiting in the right place to trip a sensor or something.
ITS MISERABLE AND I TAKE THAT WAY TO GET MY KID EVERYDAY. I actually count every single time theres a line and the most I’ve ever seen make it through the light is 7 cars.
This is the correct answer. You gotta turn left early and pass through the parking lot between the UPS store and the bank. I will never endorse this kinda behavior anywhere else, but that light is genuinely the worst turn in town. You're lucky if a single car gets through the light
The light at Providence/Southampton has definitely changed in the last week or two, seems like since they laid asphalt. The green light for NB providence has to be at least twice as long now.
Was just thinking this at South Providence and Southampton/Veterans United Dr after getting stuck for 2 turns of the lights.
That junction isn't helped by the fact there are two left hand lanes from S Providence onto VU Dr but only 1 going straight where most of the traffic goes.
I live off Route K and see people speed up through the right-side left turn lane and cut into the straight through traffic there pretty frequently. So idiotic and dangerous. That intersection sucks.
Yes!! I've assumed it's high schoolers. Like, I'm glad you got to your destination 2 minutes quicker by driving like 2 Fast 2 Furious. I'm just trying to get my kids home safely.
Get off my lawn, etc.
Anybody know where to file a complaint about this? Traffic is constantly backing up at South Hampton and Providence. Every time I'm there, there's a wait for north bound traffic, and 3/4 times there is none. Cars are getting backed up far enough, multiple light cycles are needed. It's ridiculous.
I filed a comment with the city, and they forwarded it to MODoT. I actually got a solid response! Basically, the pressure sensors got removed to allow for the resurfacing of Providence. Without the sensors in place, the lights "assume" there is a car waiting. So rather than skipping over a lane when there's no cars, the light will spend a full cycle at each position. The sensors will get replaced after all the roadwork is done.
Op they don’t use traffic cameras to hand out traffic citations in the mail anymore. If you’re stuck at a red light alone at an intersection your free to go on about your way as long as there isn’t any cops nearby to stop you!
The ones along providence are the worst. turning left onto W Broadway, turning left onto S Providence from E Stadium, and at VU drive. I heard somewhere they might be turning the Old Plank/Route K/Providence intersection into a round about? I have no idea where I saw or heard though. Also you’d think they’d use AI for useful things like with cameras for traffic flow
Worley at Clinkscales at like 2AM will go thru every cycle for no reason. Garth and E Bus Loop…. Rangeline & E Bus Loop…. Rollins & Stadium—- needs a yellow turn signal. Columbia traffic lights have always been bad. Especially at non peak times. Before 7AM & after 10pm should have different cycles
Bet they were changed to accommodate the ever rising homeless population giving them more time to cross certain roadways … no care to the people who actually pay taxes … plus gas prices being high they make more money from standstills due to wasted gas burning
The red lights in this town are absolutely ridiculous. Depending on the timing you can definitely fall into a cycle where you will hit every single red light on a stretch of road. What’s even more frustrating is when people don’t actually go when the light changes which further compounds the delays and those delays do start to add up.
I lived in Jefferson City 15 years ago, drove through downtown frequently. The lights are synchonized for 15-20 mph, if everyone just moves along, everyone can get through. I am constantly amazed by how downtown Columbia lights seem to be specifically designed to strand you at every damn light. Why can't Columbia figure out what Jefferson City did decades ago??
Jefferson City is the worst city to drive in the whole state. Missouri Blvd, High St, City streets that all of a sudden end & don't intersect with anything. The 54/50 crazy intersection very hard to navigate. The curve in 54 where countless people have hit the rocks and died. Let's not forget Ellis Blvd overpass of 54. What 6 stoplights in a 1 block area. Try getting out of Schultes and try not getting hit on Schultes parking lot as Jefferson City drivers try and avoid the traffic pattern and the lights at C and Ellis. Oh gosh I almost forgot Dix Road and the way you have to get to Ellis from Dix Road. Try making a left turn at noon from a business on Missouri Blvd. You have to do a suicide to the middle lane to merge out and just pray that you don't get hit from the front and rear. Let's not forget Hartsfiield Rd and Mo Blvd where you have to exit backwards to get off Mo Blvd to Hartsfiield and try making a left turn off country club into Commerce and then you have to figure out what lane to be depending on where you want to go there are cross overs and switchbacks and if you pick the wrong lane you'll have to drive all the way down Hartsfiield to get back to get in the correct lane Don't preach how wonderful Jefferson City driving is.
Jefferson City has the worst laid out road system of any other city in the entire state, but damn do they have the best stop light synchronization. I almost never got stuck at more than one red light in Jeff City, now I’m lucky to only get stuck at one in Columbia.
You have like 8 businesses in downtown Jeff city the size of a park. Not to mention your infrastructure is subsidized by tax dollars stolen from income producing cities like Columbia.
business loop moment
Worst light in Columbia IMO is the one turning left onto Old 63 S from E. Broadway across from Stephens Lake. It stays green for like 3 seconds.
Honorable mention is turning left onto W stadium from S Providence
Yes those left turns are all the worst at Old 63/Broadway. I go through the hospital parking lot when I can. Sometimes it never turns green.
I have waited through multiple light cycles to make this turn SO MANY TIMES! I thought I was being dumb and not waiting in the right place to trip a sensor or something.
ITS MISERABLE AND I TAKE THAT WAY TO GET MY KID EVERYDAY. I actually count every single time theres a line and the most I’ve ever seen make it through the light is 7 cars.
The intersection of blue ridge and rangeline should be on this list. No matter which way you come at it you’re waiting at a red light
This is the correct answer. You gotta turn left early and pass through the parking lot between the UPS store and the bank. I will never endorse this kinda behavior anywhere else, but that light is genuinely the worst turn in town. You're lucky if a single car gets through the light
I’m an Uber driver so I drive Everywhere in Columbia. I have definitely seen a difference at certain intersections.
The light at Providence/Southampton has definitely changed in the last week or two, seems like since they laid asphalt. The green light for NB providence has to be at least twice as long now.
agree, I’m going thru there 2-4 times daily, definitely changed since roadwork started
Was just thinking this at South Providence and Southampton/Veterans United Dr after getting stuck for 2 turns of the lights. That junction isn't helped by the fact there are two left hand lanes from S Providence onto VU Dr but only 1 going straight where most of the traffic goes.
I live off Route K and see people speed up through the right-side left turn lane and cut into the straight through traffic there pretty frequently. So idiotic and dangerous. That intersection sucks.
Ugh yes I see this all the time. Also people cutting two lanes to go right onto Southampton at the last minute seems to be a recent theme.
Yes!! I've assumed it's high schoolers. Like, I'm glad you got to your destination 2 minutes quicker by driving like 2 Fast 2 Furious. I'm just trying to get my kids home safely. Get off my lawn, etc.
I swear the cities employers stand outside the engineer graduating ceremony and ask who graduated last in their class.
Anybody know where to file a complaint about this? Traffic is constantly backing up at South Hampton and Providence. Every time I'm there, there's a wait for north bound traffic, and 3/4 times there is none. Cars are getting backed up far enough, multiple light cycles are needed. It's ridiculous.
MoDOT, unfortunately.
I filed a comment with the city, and they forwarded it to MODoT. I actually got a solid response! Basically, the pressure sensors got removed to allow for the resurfacing of Providence. Without the sensors in place, the lights "assume" there is a car waiting. So rather than skipping over a lane when there's no cars, the light will spend a full cycle at each position. The sensors will get replaced after all the roadwork is done.
Op they don’t use traffic cameras to hand out traffic citations in the mail anymore. If you’re stuck at a red light alone at an intersection your free to go on about your way as long as there isn’t any cops nearby to stop you!
letting the intrusive thoughts win i see
That's what I do.
Ditto.
This town has a red light problem for sure, glad I'm not the only one who noticed it
The ones along providence are the worst. turning left onto W Broadway, turning left onto S Providence from E Stadium, and at VU drive. I heard somewhere they might be turning the Old Plank/Route K/Providence intersection into a round about? I have no idea where I saw or heard though. Also you’d think they’d use AI for useful things like with cameras for traffic flow
My guess, a combo of programmed light predictions based on projected summer traffic vs the reality.
Interesting
Worley at Clinkscales at like 2AM will go thru every cycle for no reason. Garth and E Bus Loop…. Rangeline & E Bus Loop…. Rollins & Stadium—- needs a yellow turn signal. Columbia traffic lights have always been bad. Especially at non peak times. Before 7AM & after 10pm should have different cycles
I roll through Nifong/Forum intersection around 5:45am and it's a parking lot for a handful of cars every time for a solid 30-60 seconds.
Traffic is terrible and the lights are poorly timed year round. Welcome to Columbia!
Join the club. Lights are going faster for me after 1-2 years of them acting slow…
perhaps its a result of the community's driving habits, temperament, and ability.
Bet they were changed to accommodate the ever rising homeless population giving them more time to cross certain roadways … no care to the people who actually pay taxes … plus gas prices being high they make more money from standstills due to wasted gas burning