New Traffic Signal Installation and Existing Upgrades

• To ensure that the benefits of any new traffic signal installation outweigh potential drawbacks, the City evaluates candidate intersections against standard traffic signal "warrants".  Warrants ensures that minimum requirements are met by an intersection, including traffic volume, crash history, pedestrian crossing activities, impact to corridor traffic flow, and proximity to rail crossings.  Intersections that simply meet minimum warrants don’t automatically mean a new signal will be installed, as engineering judgement still needs to be applied.
  
  
• The Transportation Engineering Division maintains a priority list of all intersections that meet minimum criteria for new traffic signal installation. Priority ranking considers intersection traffic volumes, crash history, pedestrian/biker bicycle activity, need for additional traffic control/management, overall intersection delay, and adjacent land use. The traffic signal priority list is evaluated regularly and is updated as needed.

• Many of the City's existing traffic signals are over 40 years old and were installed as part of original roadway construction, as part of residential neighborhood development, or as part of original shopping center development.
• Many of the original traffic signal designs are considered functionally obsolete and are often not adequate to manage the current traffic demand, provide bicycle/pedestrian access, and accommodate modern traffic equipment and communication.
• The City installs new traffic signals or upgrades existing aging traffic signal poles, equipment, and infrastructure as part of intersection improvement projects, roadway "complete street" improvement projects, or as part of adjacent development projects as part of its traffic mitigation requirements.

Recently Completed and Planned Traffic Signal Projects 

How are Signal Timings Developed and How Does it Work

• Traffic signal timing is developed through traffic engineering studies and analysis, and it is designed to meet the traffic volume demand at an intersection for the various vehicle movements.  Signal timing also considers the amount of time needed for pedestrians to cross at the various crosswalks at a signalized intersection.

• City traffic signal times "respond" to traffic conditions in real time based on vehicle activation from pavement sensors in each vehicle lane, as well as with video camera detections.  These detection cameras are usually installed on signal mast arms and do not record intersection video footage.
• As part of the City's signal modernization program and through various roadway improvement projects, the City continues to strive to transition signal detection away from pavement sensors and toward video detection cameras, which are less prone to roadway construction impacts and have higher detection and equipment reliability.  Video detection cameras are also more flexible and are used for bicycle detection at various intersection approaches.

• Pedestrians are required to utilize the pedestrian push button installed at opposite ends of each crosswalk to activate the pedestrian crossing phase of a traffic signal.  Pedestrians are not advised to cross at a signalized intersection without pushing the pedestrian button to avoid being trapped in the middle of the crosswalk as the traffic signal may terminate a green phase early if there's a gap in vehicle traffic.

Traffic Signal Coordination

The City develops and implements traffic signal coordination timing along key regional commute routes and arterial roadways to improve corridor travel time, minimize the amount of red lights experienced by motorists, improve corridor traffic flow, and encourage safe traffic speeds.  
Reducing traffic speeds while improving corridor travel time may seem counter-intuitive, but the City is able to achieve both objectives through well designed coordinated signal timing by drastically reducing the number of red lights experienced by motorists driving through a roadway corridor.  For each red light encountered, a driver can experience up to 1.5 to 2 minutes of delay.  Signal coordination timing is generally optimized for the posted speed limit to discourage speeding along the various arterial corridors, ultimately striving to improve safety for all roadway users including drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
Roadway corridors that the City has completed, is designing, or is planning signal coordination implementation can be found below.  It is important to note that for all signal timing implementation, the City will conduct on-going field monitoring.  Signal coordination timings will be updated as needed to accommodate any significant changes in corridor traffic volumes and travel patterns.

Roadways with Updated Timing Coordination

Red Light Camera Photo Enforcement Program

The red light camera program is managed by the Fremont Police Department. Please see the Police Department's red light camera page for more information, or call (510) 790-6622.

How to Report Traffic Signal Issues Outside of Normal Business Hours?

Contact Fremont Police at (510) 790-6800.