# Have you ever seen a stop light at an on-ramp? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901 "2015-01-15T16:28:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/21 "2015-01-15T19:09:43Z")
My sister lives in San Diego, and they have those there too. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/22 "2015-01-15T19:38:14Z")
They’re all over Seattle. Mostly used only in rush hours. There is always a lane to bypass them, but it is restricted to HOVs (nearly all HOV2, but there may be a 3 somewhere). Lots of HOV lanes on the highways too. A few people have been caught in HOV lanes with mannikins in the right seat. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/23 "2015-01-15T19:41:33Z")
They’re all over the place in San Diego, and there are a few places along the I-5 corridor in the Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle area that have them as well. The intent is to ameliorate congestion at chokepoints on the freeway by slowing the pace at which vehicles enter the freeway. To an extent, this merely displaces the backup by having it happen on the surface street rather than on the freeway itself, but my understanding is that it results in quicker average commute times overall. I can personally testify that the meter at the Marvin Road on-ramp to I-5 North at Olympia has helped somewhat with the rush-hour quagmire that is I-5 North from Olympia to Lakewood. On the I-5 North approach to Seattle proper, they’ve introduced some even more advanced approaches to traffic control in recent years, like overhead signs that indicate a discrete speed limit for _each individual lane of the freeway_, and light-up signs that indicate the travel time to different urban centers and whether it’s faster to take the main freeway or the bypass. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/24 "2015-01-16T17:07:13Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > There used to be at least one in the St. Louis area. Like **dangermom** says, it was timed to space the cars out evenly. But I can’t remember where it is/was exactly. It’s going to bug me now. Someplace in Clayton or University City I think. Damn, that’s going to bother me… Prior to the reconstruction of US-40/I-64 in about 2008, it was the westbound entrance to US-40/I-64 from Skinker/MacCausland. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/25 "2015-01-16T17:19:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Prior to the reconstruction of US-40/I-64 in about 2008, it was the westbound entrance to US-40/I-64 from Skinker/MacCausland. Yes! Thanks! Since I don’t live there anymore I didn’t realize they’d taken it out. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/26 "2015-01-16T17:50:02Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Yeah, it would make sense if all the on-ramps had lights like that. But the one I’m talking about was just a single on-ramp. > > Weird. Yes, here on Long Island there are a couple on Ramos, but not all, that have them. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/27 "2015-01-16T18:50:12Z")
Yes, we have them on certain on-ramps here in the Denver metro area. They are only used during high-volume times and supposedly are designed to space out the traffic merging onto the highway. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/28 "2015-01-16T18:57:05Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Yes, here on Long Island there are a couple on Ramos, but not all, that have them. on Ramos should be on ramps. Why it’s not is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/29 "2015-01-16T20:08:31Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > There used to be at least one in the St. Louis area. Like **dangermom** says, it was timed to space the cars out evenly. But I can’t remember where it is/was exactly. It’s going to bug me now. Someplace in Clayton or University City I think. Damn, that’s going to bother me… There were a few of them. I ran into one west of Forest Park at the intersection of McCausland Ave and Hwy 40 / I-64. I think they removed that one when they rebuilt I-64. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/30 "2015-01-16T21:02:43Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Boy, you’d really hate the 110 Fwy between downtown LA and Pasadena. > > I learned to drive on that freeway. My driving instructor told me that if I could merge onto that freeway, I could merge onto any freeway. He wasn’t kidding. Hands down, the craziest fucking stretch of road I’ve ever driven on. And everybody is going absolutely balls-out! ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/32 "2015-01-16T22:24:42Z")
They are all over Milwaukee, a very freeway-centric city, but generally only on during rush hour. I have never noticed one with a too-short runup to the highway, though. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/33 "2015-01-16T22:26:19Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Boy, you’d really hate the 110 Fwy between downtown LA and Pasadena. The majority of the ramps there have stop SIGNS. So you are forced to gun it between small gaps in traffic. [Here’s an example.](http://www.socalregion.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/110_stop_sign.jpg) > > I learned to drive on that freeway. My driving instructor told me that if I could merge onto that freeway, I could merge onto any freeway. He wasn’t kidding. Holy shit! He really wasn’t kidding, and congratulations! You must be an excellent driver. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/34 "2015-01-16T22:31:12Z")
We have them all over on the Denver area interstates - I-70, I-25, I-225. They don’t always use them in non-peak traffic periods, but they are always on during rush hours ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/35 "2015-01-16T22:57:20Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Hands down, the craziest fucking stretch of road I’ve ever driven on. And everybody is going absolutely balls-out! > [@tenacious\_j](#): > > Holy shit! He really wasn’t kidding, and congratulations! You must be an excellent driver. An article came out in a local paper the other day about a plan to potentially modify the freeway so that the right lane is ONLY for entering and exiting. Part of me thinks that’s reasonable, and part of me mourns the potential loss of the freeway system’s wildest ride. I spent years living off those ramps, and only had a few near-incidents (including the one where I partially spun out trying to merge in a light rain), but zero accidents. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/36 "2015-01-16T23:02:46Z")
Pretty much every single ramp on the Ike (Illinois 290 near Chicago) has one. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901/37 "2015-01-17T00:04:22Z")
if the ramp is busy there are even multilane ramps with each lane with a light to handle the queue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-stop-light-at-an-on-ramp/709901.md?page=1)