Slideshow Cars queue on Embarcadero Road near Town & Country Village (right) where currently three traffic lights control the flow of traffic. File photo by Veronica Weber. Previous Next

Seeking to create a more efficient ride for local drivers and bicyclists, Palo Alto plans to reprogram traffic lights along several major streets.

The new effort will roll out on major segments of Embarcadero Road, Bryant Street, University Avenue and San Antonio Road.

The most immediate change, according to the city, will take place along Embarcadero, between Bryant and Geng Road. The traffic signals along that segment will be reprogrammed from a "continuous loop" to a time-of-day system, with different timing loops operating at different hours, based on expected traffic flow.

"As the new timing is rolled out, City staff will be making adjustments in the field to ensure that the new programming is operating as efficiently as possible," the city's announcement stated.

A different type of adjustment will be made along San Antonio between East Charleston and Nita Avenue, as well as at the intersection of East Charleston and Fabian Way. Here, the city plans to install SynchroGreen software, which allows traffic signals to adapt automatically in real time based on traffic flow. The software has been used on Sand Hill Road since 2014, when the busy artery became the city's first corridor with adaptive signal timing.