Traffic signal debate

Councilmember Nick Licata on Thursday questioned $1 million in spending for advanced traffic signal equipment, which four of his colleagues have recommended adding to the 2015-2016 City Budget. The so-called “adaptive signal control" technology would time stoplights at 31 intersections on and around Mercer Street between Interstate 5 and Third Avenue West. The goal is to reduce congestion in the frequently jammed corridor. Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess, Mike O'Brien and Tom Rasmussen proposed allocating $200,000 for the signal project in 2015 and $800,000 in 2016. But at a Budget Committee meeting on Thursday, Licata wanted to know why, if the signal project was so important, the Seattle Department of Transportation didn't push to include it in the Mayor's proposed budget. "They didn't recommend it," he said. "Maybe it's not the right time to make this investment."The $1 million item is a piece of the $10.5 million the city plans to spend on adaptive signal technology around South Lake Union and Seattle Center in the coming years. Licata also wanted to know if it made sense to invest in such a small portion of the project when the city wasn't ready to move forward with the rest of it. "Are we spending a million on an element that may not really contribute much?" he asked. Some sensors for the signal system are already in place. The proposed budget addition would pay for items like servers, data collection, and system programming. If the budget item is approved, the portion of the system it would pay for is scheduled to be up and running by 2016. "If you talk to people who use the Mercer Corridor they're desperate for improvements and they want the corridor to work as best as it can," said Tom Rasmussen. "This is part of making it function."